Whereas a restriction on testing is essentially the most notable addition to the 2024 rulebook, the ADAC has additionally tweaked the rules elsewhere for what could be the second season of the DTM below its stewardship.
Extra follow time
On the request of groups, the primary follow session for every spherical has been prolonged by 10 minutes to 55 minutes. The size of FP2 stays the identical at 45 minutes, which means drivers will get a complete of 100 minutes of observe time on Friday to arrange for a race weekend.
Though the ADAC has been attempting to chop operating prices for the groups, it has to take this measure to compensate for restricted testing within the DTM this yr.
“This has to do with the testing restrictions and the entire elimination of Thursday checks,” DTM sequence supervisor Michael Rebhan informed Motorsport.com’s sister web site Motorsport-Whole.com.
“We might have favored to shorten the periods, however the level is that you could change issues and check out issues out extra usually throughout the session.
“This – and it was the groups’ argument – takes among the burden off the earlier checks.”
Though there have been some talks about holding qualifying instantly earlier than the race as a part of a condensed schedule, the format for the remainder of the weekend will stay precisely the identical. Which means a pair of 20-minute pole shootouts on Saturday and Sunday morning, adopted by the 2 races within the afternoon.
Necessary stops throughout FCY and security automobile
In a basic change that might affect technique calls within the DTM, any tyre change throughout a full-course yellow (FCY) or security automobile interval won’t depend in direction of the necessary pitstop.
The change is geared toward equalising the sector, “in any other case the one that stopped earlier than could be at a drawback”, in response to Rehban.
Race director Sven Stoppe additionally needs to forego the usage of security automobiles throughout the pitstop window with a purpose to keep the identical distance between drivers and make issues honest for your entire discipline.
Prime 5 rule prolonged to high 10
As a way to combine issues up, drivers who begin inside the highest 10 should start the race on the identical set of tyres they certified on. Earlier, this rule solely utilized to these inside the highest 5 locations on the grid.
Working on used tyres, versus a contemporary set, impacts each the warm-up and the sturdiness of the rubber.
No benefit for Schubert
In the meantime, Schubert Motorsport, which would be the solely group to run three automobiles within the DTM this yr, has been allowed to use for a second pitstop station.
Nevertheless, it should comply with one requirement. From the second spherical of the season, the 2 best-placed Schubert drivers within the championship should share one pit field, whereas the final remaining driver may have a complete pitstop station to himself – and might change tyres on any lap with out having to fret about his team-mates’ methods.
Solely on this month’s season-opener at Oschersleben will the group get a free alternative.
With this set-up, the ADAC needs to make sure that a three-car group can’t benefit from the extra pit field in comparison with a two-car squad.
“With this rule, the groups requested precisely what we had been doing and why we had been doing it,” defined Rebhan. “However I believe it is honest if the weakest driver has the benefit.”
Schubert will run former champions Rene Rast, Marco Wittmann and Sheldon van der Linde in all-star, manufacturing unit BMW line-up.