Why ex-Audi driver Ricardo Feller chose Porsche, how the 911 GT3 compares to the Audi R8 and what he thinks his Allied team is capable of
It was a big surprise when former Audi driver Ricardo Feller was presented by Porsche as a contract driver and as a driver for DTM newcomer Allied Racing a few weeks ago. But how did the 24-year-old leave Abt after three years and now sit in the Porsche 911 GT3 R?
“It was clear that the Audi driver squad would be completely dissolved by the end of the year,” explains the long-standing Audi driver at dtm.com. “So I was able to think about my future early on.”
Porsche was “the best option” for Feller, “and offers me, as a young driver, an incredible number of opportunities in the long term,” he says, alluding to the fact that the traditional brand is not only involved in GT3 racing but also in prototype and Formula E racing.
Porsche is “more modern” than Audi
Currently, however, the change means uncharted territory for Feller, because the Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II with the mid-engine is a completely different car from the rear-engined 911 GT3 R, which he tested at an SSR performance track day in Le Castellet at the end of September.
“I only had a single day to get to know the Porsche 911 GT3 R, and I was able to get to know the car on both dry and wet asphalt,” says Feller. ”So I can’t yet say in detail what exactly makes the car so good.”
However, the 2023 season, when Thomas Preining became DTM champion with the “Grello”, proved that the car is “consistently strong in different conditions”. “Compared to the Audi, the 911 GT3 R is also more modern in terms of the systems and various setting options.”
What Feller expects of the new Porsche team Allied Racing
The crucial thing now is to get to know the car as quickly as possible and to find out “which set-up settings suit my driving style so that I feel comfortable in the car”. In addition, Feller is confronted with a new environment at Porsche and the Allied team, which is new to the DTM, and he has to familiarize himself with it.
“This is a process, and I’m excited to see what awaits me in the coming months,” he says. What does he think his new team is capable of? “Allied Racing has good people on board, we’ll be fully prepared for the start of the season,” Feller is confident.
His goal remains to become DTM champion. “Whether it will be enough to finish right at the front in the first year with Porsche, I can’t say at the moment. I still don’t know the car well enough for that,” says Feller, who finished third overall in the DTM in 2023, looking to the future. “But I will do everything I can to achieve my goal as soon as possible.”
