Edoardo Mortara switches from Audi to Mercedes

2016 DTM runner-up Edoardo Mortara will switch from Audi to Mercedes for the 2017 season.

“We are delighted to finally announce Edoardo Mortara as one of the team’s race drivers for 2017,” said Ulrich Fritz, head of Mercedes AMG DTM.

“Edoardo and Mercedes-AMG came to an agreement for some time but due to respect to our colleagues at Audi, we didn’t announce the signing of their title contender earlier.”

The Italian becomes the first Mercedes driver to be confirmed for next year, with five seats remaining as the German manufacturer recently announced to reduce from eight to six cars ahead of 2017.

Mortara finished second, four points behind BMW driver Marco Wittmann, in the drivers’ championship this season after five victories and eight podium finishes.