Ex-F1 driver Glock in DTM comeback talks with McLaren team

Motorsport.com’s sister website Motorsport-Total.com understands that efforts are being made to help the five-time DTM race winner secure a comeback in 2024 after a two-year absence.

Glock’s former manager Hans-Bernd Kamps, who is co-founder of the Project 1 team, is understood to be behind the plan for the 41-year-old to drive a McLaren 720S GT3 in the series.

Glock last raced full-time in the DTM in the first year of its GT3 rulebook in 2021, before making a wildcard appearance the following season at Imola at the wheel of the new BMW M4 GT3. 

The German driver has since been focusing on his Formula 1 TV commitments with Sky Germany, but remains an immensely popular figure in the DTM thanks to a successful stint with the factory BMW team during the Class 1 era of the championship.

The ex-F1 driver did not deny talks about a DTM comeback when quizzed about the prospects of returning to the series by Motorsport-Total.com

"We have spread out our network and are looking at what options there are and what is feasible," he said. "That's the topic at the moment.

"If something comes up through my contacts, I'd be happy to. And if it goes through Project 1 or [McLaren car dealer] Dorr, then so be it.”

McLaren 720S GT3 EVO

Dorr Group, which owns the largest network of McLaren dealerships in Europe, is believed to be involved in funding Project 1’s prospective DTM entry with McLaren.

The German outfit competed in the championship last year with BMW, but is known to be working on a switch to McLaren after finding little success with the Bavarian brand.

Glock personally knows Dorr Group founder Rainer Dorr, having “often bumped into him on the racetrack” in the last few years.

Asked to assess his chances of returning to the DTM for his 10th season, Glock made it clear that his comeback hopes hinged on putting together the necessary funding for the seat.

“So far, there's nothing concrete,” he said. “Of course, I'm still trying to get something going, but at the moment it's difficult purely in terms of the financial outlay.

"We don't have a real deadline, but there has to be a direction at some point soon." 

The ADAC recently announced McLaren as the seventh manufacturer for the 2024 DTM season, suggesting that the team is now officially registered with the series. There have been talks about a two-car entry.

The driver line-up is of particular interest, with former Grasser Lamborghini driver Clemens Schmid and Rainer Dorr’s son Ben believed to be the hot contenders.

The DTM remains Glock’s best option for a full-time drive in 2024 after he competed in just two Porsche Supercup races last year. He was dropped from BMW's factory roster at the end of the 2022 season, leaving him as a free agent in the driver market.

Asked if he had held talks with any manufacturers to race outside of the DTM, he said: "It's relatively quiet at the moment. Of course I'm always in contact from time to time, but there are no real projects at the moment."