Mattias Ekström could return to the DTM in 2019

Audi Motorsport boss Dieter Gass confirmed during the Hockenheim season finale that he will meet with former DTM champion Mattias Ekström this week to discuss the Swede’s future, which could include a return to the DTM as a driver.

The Swede left the DTM at the end of last season to focus on his own team in the World Rallycross Championship, for which he had factory support from Audi. However, the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer is ending the project at the end of the current season.

Ekström, through his team EKS, was believed to be among the aspirants to become an Audi customer team in the DTM as the series opens that door from next season, but the Swede would have declined due to customer teams not being able to challenge factory supported ones.

“As a private team you would never compete for the title,” Ekström told Motorsport Total. “If you want to learn as a private team and you want to develop junior drivers, maybe you could, but you would never beat a factory team.”

The 2004 and 2007 champion is, with 23 victories in his bag, Audi’s most successful driver in the series.