Austria up next for Esmee Hawkey

Following her best result of the season so far, Esmee Hawkey returns to action in DTM this weekend as the championship heads to the Red Bull Ring in Austria for the fifth round of the season.

Claiming an excellent P11 result in the last event at the Nürburgring, Esmee battled the elements in her first experience of wet weather in DTM machinery. Displaying strong race pace throughout the weekend, the 23-year-old recorded one of the top-six fastest lap times during the second race, highlighting Esmee's excellent progression throughout the season.

Buoyed by her impressive performance in Germany, Esmee arrives at the Red Bull Ring confident of another strong weekend. Situated 677 metres above sea level in the Styrian hills, the high-speed Austrian circuit provides continuous thrills and spills. With three long straights and four heavy braking zones, the circuit offers a unique challenge for drivers.

“I’m raring to go at the Red Bull Ring this weekend,” Esmee said. “We’ve gone from strength to strength so far this season and I’m thoroughly enjoying every second of it. The Nürburgring gave me a new challenge to contend with in terms of the rain but I felt really comfortable and that’s given me even more confidence as we head to Austria. The Red Bull Ring is another new circuit for me but I’ve put in plenty of laps on the simulator and we've tested here previously - it’s a really unique track as it’s compact, fast and undulating.”

Esmee’s first track action kicks off on Friday with two Free Practice sessions at 13:00 local time (12:00 BST) and 15:30 (14:30). Saturday marks the first race day of the weekend and begins with Qualifying at 10:20 (09:20) followed by the race itself at 13:30 (12:30). Sunday follows a similar schedule with Qualifying for the second race at 10:20 (09:20) and the race at 13:30 (12:30) once again.

Viewers in the UK can catch all the action live across the weekend, beginning with Friday’s Free Practice sessions on the DTM YouTube channel. Saturday’s action will be broadcast on BT Sport 3 and Sunday’s live on BT Sport 2.

Image courtesy of DTM/Michael Kunkel.