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 might withdraw from the championship on the finish of the season.
An growing 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 of for the highest function on the newly-founded Affalterbach Racing GmbH division, which is able to 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 true property enterprise, which is at present within the midst of a disaster.
A possible exit for HRT can be a giant blow for the DTM, because the collection has already witnessed a decline in entries to twenty vehicles this yr. HRT has additionally been an essential a part of the collection’ GT3 period, having received the championship in 2021 with Mercedes driver Maximilian Gotz.
Nonetheless, Haupt has made it clear that there isn’t a substance behind the rumours questioning the way forward for HRT, insisting his group will stay within the DTM in 2025.
“Now we have a contract that expires for the DTM, however we’ll 99% be racing within the DTM subsequent yr,” he advised Motorsport.com’s sister title Motorsport-Whole.com.
“We are going to 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 mentioned: “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 should 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 purpose when he based the group in 2020 after taking on the GT3 operations of Black Falcon.
“There are only a few racing groups that become profitable,’ he mentioned. “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 yr by motorsport requirements. It would make a good higher revenue this yr than final yr. That can 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 a lot of his belongings just lately, together with his Munich villa, a personal jet, a yacht and part of his personal assortment together with a Components 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 yr in the past. A big a part of the property was just lately bought, which additionally led to rumours that the group wished to do away with its well-equipped workshop.
Nonetheless, Haupt has rubbished such claims, claiming that the sale solely involved the underdeveloped components of the land.
“The HRT constructing has not been bought. It would stay in our portfolio for the long run and is financed for the long run to counteract any rumours,” he mentioned. “We earned our cash in property growth as a result of we purchased it actually cheaply on the time.”
Haupt admitted that a lot of staff have certainly left the group, however believes that isn’t a great cause to attract any conclusions about the way forward for the group.
“There are at all times some leaving,” he mentioned. “There are at all times staff who’re dissatisfied and say: ‘I imagined all the things to be utterly completely different’. Now we have that yearly.”
Nonetheless, he dominated out managing director and former HRT boss Fritz leaving the group to affix Mercedes’ new Affalterbach Racing division, saying “Uli Fritz will stick with us 100%. I consider he has a great future and good prospects right here.”
