It has been revealed that reigning FIA F3 Europe champion Felix Rosenqvist will replace Manor-bound Esteban Ocon for Round 5 of the DTM championship at Moscow.
Rosenqvist steps up from his role as Test Driver for Mercedes to race in DTM for the first time with ART Grand Prix alongside Gary Paffett.
The Swede has raced in Indy Lights this season winning three out of the ten races he has competed in. He has juggled this with several tests for Mercedes, an Indycar test with Chip Ganassi and races in several GT competitions.
“Making my debut in this incredibly competitive championship in the middle of the season will be a true challenge for me, I am well aware that I will have to learn an awful lot within a very short period of time. But being offered the chance of racing in DTM also represents a fantastic opportunity” said the 24 year old.
Meanwhile Mercedes DTM boss Ulrich Fritz has confidence in his prodigy as he said: “As our test and reserve driver, Felix is well prepared for this challenge, he has gone everywhere with the team since the beginning of the season, including the fitness camp, and he knows the whole squad as well as the car. It therefore makes absolute sense for us to give him the opportunity to contest this DTM race weekend in Moscow.”
Esteban Ocon has made the move to F1 with Manor after Rio Haryanto’s contract was terminated. The Frenchman partners 2015 DTM champion Pascal Wehrlein for the rest of the season. Ocon did not make as big an impression on DTM as Wehrlein but he will be hoping that he can be more successful in F1.
DTM at Moscow takes place from the 19th of August to the 21st of August.
