Mercedes buyer Haupt Racing Group has denied rumours a couple of potential exit from the DTM in 2025, saying it’s working profitably.
Hypothesis about the way forward for HRT has been rife within the paddock, with many suggesting that it may withdraw from the championship on the finish of the season.
An rising variety of HRT staff are believed to have utilized for jobs at different groups, whereas hearsay mill has additionally pointed to HRT managing director Ulrich Fritz being thought-about for the highest position on the newly-founded Affalterbach Racing GmbH division, which can deal with Mercedes’ buyer racing actions sooner or later.
All of this has to do with the financing of the squad, as for the final 30 years proprietor Hubert Haupt has been concerned in the actual property enterprise, which is presently within the midst of a disaster.
A possible exit for HRT could be an enormous blow for the DTM, because the sequence has already witnessed a decline in entries to twenty automobiles this 12 months. HRT has additionally been an vital a part of the sequence’ GT3 period, having received the championship in 2021 with Mercedes driver Maximilian Gotz.
Nonetheless, Haupt has made it clear that there is no such thing as a substance behind the rumours questioning the way forward for HRT, insisting his group will stay within the DTM in 2025.
“We’ve got a contract that expires for the DTM, however we’ll 99% be racing within the DTM subsequent 12 months,” he instructed Motorsport.com’s sister title Motorsport-Whole.com.
“We’ll keep within the DTM. We will certainly keep within the ADAC GT Masters, we will certainly keep on the Nurburgring [Endurance Series].”
Requested what’s stopping him from being 100% certain about persevering with within the DTM, he stated: “If, for instance, AMG says you’re far too costly and another person provides us three million extra, then we’ll not drive DTM with AMG. Then we’ll must search for another person.”
Nonetheless, he insists he’ll “undoubtedly” stick with the Stuttgart-based model in 2025 “if Mercedes-AMG treats us effectively and provides us a great contract.”
Haupt additionally revealed that the HRT group is financially impartial of him and even made a revenue in 2023. This was his aim when he based the group in 2020 after taking up the GT3 operations of Black Falcon.
“There are only a few racing groups that generate income,’ he stated. “Most of them actually put some huge cash into it or have patrons who put the cash in.
“We managed to make a great revenue final 12 months by motorsport requirements. It should make a good higher revenue this 12 months than final 12 months. That can also be the goal: The corporate should be capable to reside independently of me.”
Luca Stolz, Mercedes-AMG Group HRT Mercedes-AMG GT3
Photograph by: Alexander Trienitz
Haupt is believed to have bought plenty of his property not too long ago, together with his Munich villa, a personal jet, a yacht and part of his personal assortment together with a System 1 automobile, to maneuver to his new residence in Monaco.
His group HRT additionally shifted to a model new facility in Drees, not removed from the Nurburgring, over a 12 months in the past. A big a part of the property was not too long ago bought, which additionally led to rumours that the group needed to do away with its well-equipped workshop.
Nonetheless, Haupt has rubbished such claims, claiming that the sale solely involved the underdeveloped elements of the land.
“The HRT constructing has not been bought. It should stay in our portfolio for the long run and is financed for the long run to counteract any rumours,” he stated. “We earned our cash in property growth as a result of we purchased it actually cheaply on the time.”
Haupt admitted that plenty of staff have certainly left the group, however believes that’s not a great purpose to attract any conclusions about the way forward for the group.
“There are all the time some leaving,” he stated. “There are all the time staff who’re dissatisfied and say: ‘I imagined the whole lot to be utterly totally different’. We’ve got that yearly.”
Nonetheless, he dominated out managing director and former HRT boss Fritz leaving the group to hitch Mercedes’ new Affalterbach Racing division, saying “Uli Fritz will stick with us 100%. I imagine he has a great future and good prospects right here.”
