Luca Engstler sensationally won the DTM season opener at Oschersleben, but before that his future looked bleak: How difficult the situation was and how he came to Grasser
After his sensational victory at the opening weekend in Oschersleben, Grasser Lamborghini youngster Luca Engstler left as DTM leader. And although he dropped back to twelfth place after the difficult Zandvoort weekend, he is still within striking distance of the top. He almost didn’t even compete in the DTM in 2024 after his efforts to sign with a Mercedes-AMG team in the winter failed
“I stood there and had no plan at all”, “DTM felt as far away as the moon. I just accepted the fact that there was no space this year and I had to see what else might come up at the last minute or whether there was somewhere to stay.”
But in desperation, a door did open. “Then I got the call from Gottfried and the chance to do it,” says Engstler. “We immediately got in the car, drove to Gottfried’s and saw if we could somehow get it over the line. “
Grasser opportunity came “out of nowhere “
Gottfried Grasser, whose Lamborghini team is based near the Red Bull Ring in Austria, was himself still looking for a driver for the second cockpit alongside Christian Engelhart after failing to reach an agreement with Maximilian Paul.
According to Engstler, there was “no question” that there was even a possibility – and that Lamborghini would be behind it and support it because no talks had taken place. That’s why it came a bit unexpectedly and out of the blue.”
However, Engstler was announced as a Lamborghini Young driver and Grasser driver at the end of February. “Compared to the other plans, that went off without a hitch,” says Engstler. “We were all in agreement relatively quickly. “
How Engstler was able to get through the Grasser team
The fact that Engstler, who had made his DTM debut in the Audi of his father Franz Engstler’s team in 2023, did not pursue this path further also has to do with the fact that he wanted to develop further in 2024. “One issue was to get into a structure where you can concentrate solely on driving,” says the youngster, who also regularly lent a hand in the family team.
He wanted to put an end to that by switching teams. “You’re much more involved there as a driver – in the problems that really exist in the team,” he says, describing his role in the Engstler team. “That ranges from logistics to personnel, partners, budget – all the issues that resonate in your head. “
That’s why he also takes his hat off to Lamborghini brand colleague Paul this year, “to take this step as a family team and then have to load the truck on Sunday evening,” he says, recognizing himself in his fellow countryman, who competes for Paul Motorsport.
Next Lamborghini outing at the Nürburgring
However, his aim now is to create a structure in the GT World Challenge Europe sprint series, in which Engstler continues to drive the Engstler Audi, that will free him up accordingly: “Being able to get away from that is hugely important.”
He also wants to sit in the car as much as possible. Due to his lack of experience with the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, he currently has to work his way up step by step at the weekends through meticulous data analysis.
Incidentally, Engstler’s next outing came this weekend, as he took part in the third round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) in the Lamborghini entered by Renazzo Motorsport, allowing him to familiarize himself further with the car, which is still new to him.
However, the race was unfortunate for Engstler. First, he clashed with another car in qualifying and ended up in the gravel. In the race, the car with team colleague “Dieter Schmidtmann” (pseudonym of team boss Danny Kubasik) at the wheel suffered a puncture. Engstler later returned to the track, but after 15 laps the team withdrew the car,
