Haupt Racing Team (HRT) Ford Performance kicked off the 2025 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) season with a quiet but successful run at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, signaling big things ahead for the Ford Mustang GT3 racers in Germany.
Ford factory driver Arun Maini led the HRT Ford Performance charge during Race 1 at Oschersleben on April 26th, sharpening his overtaking skills as he picked off competitors one by one, driving the No. 36 Mustang GT3. He finished 15th overall in the opening race, picking up one point toward the 2025 DTM Championship.
“I think it was quite an exciting weekend and I sure had a lot of fun. We managed to make up a lot of places on Sunday and ended up in P16, just missing out on points,” Maini said. “There’s a lot to look at now. And I think we can make some steps for the Lausitzring, which should suit us better. The two mandatory pit stops bring a different perspective to the race, which is quite fun. It’s difficult, especially for the pit crew, but all in all I think it’s a good thing.”
Maini went on to finish 16th in Race 2, which unfortunately meant he did not collect any points for that particular event. He is currently 17th in the overall standings.
The second HRT Ford Performance driver, Fabio Scherer, finished 18th and 19th in the weekends two races, respectively. He did not pick up any points, but spent valuable time learning the ins and outs of his No. 50 Mustang GT3.
“No points but quite happy with the weekend. I made a good step and improved a lot,” he said. “I haven’t had a qualifying session or a real race start in the last few years, you have to remember that. We have to work on a few things, the pit stops and the pace for example. We were close to the points, so we can be happy with that and we have to build on that.”
Ulrich Fritz, CEO Haupt Racing Team, weighed in, saying, “We knew it would be difficult at Oschersleben. We definitely don’t want to fight for 15 and 16. But that’s the situation we’re in. Especially Oschersleben is not a track that suits us. But we can learn from this weekend and that is what we are doing. We’ll go back to the computer to analyze this weekend and see what we can do better at the next event.”
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