Season Finale in front of 95,000 spectators at the Hockenheimring for Emil Frey Racing

Hockenheimring, 22nd October 2024

Emil Frey Racing fell short of expectations at the DTM and ADAC GT Masters season finale at the Hockenheimring. In a difficult weekend, the team was still able to make a statement with Pole Position and a podium finish in the ADAC GT Masters, but the performance of the Ferraris was generally lacking. Nevertheless, the team from Safenwil can look back on an exciting and varied season in which they were able to prove themselves in the DTM with three victories and a podium.

DTM 
In qualifying for the penultimate race of the season, Jack Aitken took a promising fifth place on the grid, while team-mate Thierry Vermeulen only managed 17th place after experiencing difficulties. The first 13 cars were within one second of each other, which made for a hard-fought race. 

Jack Aitken maintained his fifth position at the start, but all the title contenders were hotly contested for the top spots, so the Englishman lost a few positions in the scramble. After the pitstop, the number 14 settled into eighth place. Shortly afterwards, Jack Aitken was forced into the gravel in an unfair maneuver by Nicky Thiim in the #94 Lamborghini in the Sachskurve and had to disappointingly finish the race in the pits due to the damage to the #14 Ferrari 296 GT3. Thierry Vermeulen crossed the finishing line in 13th place and thus scored three points. 

Jack Aitken started the season finale on Sunday in the #14 Ferrari from 9th place, closely followed by Thierry Vermeulen, who was just 0.008 seconds behind his team-mate. The young Dutchman had a good start and was able to move up to 7th place. Jack Aitken was the loser at the start and lost many positions. The team then changed the strategy for the three-time DTM race winner and opted for a late pitstop. On lap 22, Jack Aitken came into the pits from second place, but then lost two positions on the outlap as the tyres were not yet up to temperature. 

The Emil Frey Racing Ferraris took the final chequered flag of the 2024 DTM season in 11th (Thierry Vermeulen #69) and 16th (Jack Aitken #14).

ADAC GT Masters 
Jean-Luc D'Auria set the ninth-fastest time in the first ADAC GT Masters race at the season finale at the Hockenheimring. In the early stages of the one-hour race, the Swiss driver improved into third place and then came to the Emil Frey Racing Garage for the mandatory pitstop. Alain Valente now took his place in the #14 Ferrari 296 GT3 and settled into eighth place in the race. After a controlled stint, the team also finished the race in P8. 

In Sunday's qualifying session, Alain Valente in the #14 Ferrari 296 GT3 topped the timesheets sensationally and secured the second Pole Position for Ferrari this season. 

Alain Valente took no risks at the start and dropped back to third place in the first few laps. Jean-Luc D'Auria was in the car for the second stint and a huge duel for third place came to a head towards the end. In a nerve-wracking final lap, the Swiss driver then overtook the Audi in a spirited overtaking manoeuvre to finish the 2024 season with a podium result.

Team Quotes Emil Frey Racing
Lorenz Frey-Hilti, Team Principal
“We had a lot of guests and partners at the racetrack this weekend, and we certainly wanted to show them a top result at the end of the season. We were able to do that with Pole Position and third place in the ADAC GT Masters, but we generally had problems with the pace, especially in the second sector. We were also unable to get our tyres up to temperature as quickly as the other teams managed. Thierry Vermeulen had a solid race on Sunday with lots of great maneuvers. Congratulations to Mirko Bortolloti for winning the DTM championship.”

Jürg Flach, Technical Director 
“I was hoping to end the season with good results, but it was a difficult weekend. In the ADAC GT Masters, we were able to celebrate a conciliatory finish with a Pole Position and third place on Sunday. In the DTM, on the other hand, we fell short of expectations. We had a good Setup to be competitive in qualifying, but we didn't have enough speed in the races to keep up with the fastest drivers. We had a tough season with many events and the whole team put in an impressive effort.”

Driver Quotes DTM
Jack Aitken (Great Britain) #14
“That was certainly not the end of the season we had imagined. We struggled with our performance throughout the weekend, especially on the straights. To put it in a nutshell, we were simply too slow compared to the competition. Despite everything, I look back on the season positively and would like to thank everyone in the team for the great teamwork.”

Thierry Vermeulen (The Netherlands) #69
“I would like to thank the entire Emil Frey Racing team. It has been a long season, and I am very grateful for the support. I think the team and I have made a big step forward, even if this wasn't always visible in good point results. I hope for another chance next year.”

Driver Quotes ADAC GT Masters 
Jean-Luc D´Auria (Switzerland) #14
“Another difficult weekend, even if it is nice to end the season on the podium. Nevertheless, we had hoped for more, especially for the race on Sunday. I would have had opportunities to overtake, but the BMW was a lot faster than us on the straights. I'm proud that I was able to hold on to third place on the last lap and took a lot of risks to give the team a podium at the end.”

Alain Valente (Switzerland) #14
“Surprisingly, the grip was very good straight away in qualifying, so I was able to set a fast time after a short warm-up phase. We were then in a good starting position in the race and had set ourselves the target of a win at the end - but a third place and a podium is still a conciliatory result.”