René Rast (German pronunciation: [ʁəˈneː ˈʁast]; born 26 October 1986) is a German professional racing driver and the 2017, 2019 and 2020 DTM champion. He last competed in Formula E. He claimed overall wins at the 2012 and 2014 24 Hours of Spa, 2014 24 Hours of Nürburgring and two class wins at the 2012 and 2016 24 Hours of Daytona.
| René Rast | |
|---|---|
 Rast in 2023 | |
| Nationality |  German |
| Born | 26 October 1986 Minden, West Germany[1] |
| DTM career | |
| Debut season | 2016 |
| Current team | Schubert Motorsport |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Car number | 33 |
| Former teams | Phoenix Racing, Team Rosberg, Team Abt |
| Starts | 122 |
| Championships | 3 (2017, 2019, 2020) |
| Wins | 28 |
| Podiums | 54 |
| Poles | 26 |
| Fastest laps | 16 |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 2014–2016 |
| Teams | Sébastien Loeb Racing Audi Sport Team Joest G-Drive Racing |
| Best finish | 6th (2016) |
| Class wins | 0 |
| Formula E career | |
| Debut season | 2016–17 |
| Car number | 58 |
| Former teams | Team Aguri, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler, McLaren |
| Starts | 38 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 3 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 3 |
| Best finish | 13th in 2020–21 |
| Finished last season | 13th (78 pts) |
Career
editAfter competing in karting and Formula BMW, Rast won the 2005 ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup and was runner-up at the 2006 Seat León Supercopa Germany.
In 2007, he switched to sports car racing, where he won Porsche Carrera Cup Germany in 2008 and 2012, and Porsche Supercup and claimed three championships from 2010 to 2012. Rast also competed at the ADAC GT Masters from 2010 to 2014, winning the title in his last year.
He ran the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring with a Paul Miller Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Rast won the 2012 24 Hours of Daytona GT class, driving a Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with co-drivers Andy Lally, Richard Lietz and team owner John Potter.
Rast won the 2012 and 2014 24 Hours of Spa with a factory-supported Audi R8 LMS with teams Phoenix and WRT respectively.
In the 2013 FIA GT Series, he claimed a win and five podiums with an WRT Audi R8. In the 2014 Blancpain Sprint Series, he claimed a win and three podiums. In 2016, he got three podiums with.
Rast debuted at the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Sébastien Loeb Racing Oreca-Nissan, finishing fourth in the LMP2 class. In 2015, he competed at two rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship with a factory Audi R18 e-tron quattro, finishing fourth overall at the 6 Hours of Spa and seventh at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2016, he raced full-time for G-Drive with an Oreca-Nissan LMP2, claiming a win at Bahrain and a second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and two third-place finishes at Silverstone and Austin.
Rast competed in two rounds of the 2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters with an Audi RS5, finishing sixth at Hockenheim II race 1.
He won the 2017 DTM title in his first full year driving an Audi RS5 for Team Rosberg.[2] After taking a record-breaking six consecutive race victories the following year, he missed out on a repeat title by only four points.[3] Rast won the 2019 DTM Championship and scored his third series title the following season.[4]
Formula E
editRast debuted in Formula E at the 2016 Berlin ePrix replacing António Félix da Costa (who had a DTM commitment) at Team Aguri.[5]
Rast returned to Formula E for the final six races of the 2019-20 season in Berlin, replacing the sacked Daniel Abt at Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler. He managed to score a podium finish in the fifth race where he crossed the line in third place.[6] Rast drove for Audi as a permanent driver for the 2020-21 Formula E Championship, partnering Lucas di Grassi.[7]
Rast did not compete in the 2021–22 Formula E World Championship.
He made his return to the series in the 2022–23 season driving for the McLaren Formula E Team.[8] He scored one podium throughout the season, and ended 13th in the standings. Rast announced his departure from McLaren following the season.[9]
Racing record
editCareer summary
edit† As Rast was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
Complete Porsche Supercup results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Veltins MRS Racing | BHR | BHR | CAT | MON | MAG | SIL | NÜR 13 |
HUN | IST | SPA | MNZ | NC‡ | 0‡ | ||
| 2008 | Veltins MRS Racing | BHR Ret |
BHR 3 |
CAT 5 |
IST Ret |
MON 7 |
MAG Ret |
SIL | HOC 5 |
HUN 8 |
VAL 6 |
SPA 7 |
MNZ 8 |
6th | 95 | |
| 2009 | Veltins MRS Racing | BHR Ret |
BHR 2 |
CAT DSQ |
MON 2 |
IST 2 |
SIL 1 |
NÜR 1 |
HUN 1 |
VAL 1 |
SPA 17† |
MNZ 1 |
YMC 1 |
YMC 2 |
2nd | 207 |
| 2010 | Al Faisal Lechner Racing | BHR 1 |
BHR 1 |
CAT Ret |
MON 1 |
VAL 1 |
SIL 2 |
HOC Ret |
HUN 3 |
SPA 3 |
MNZ 4 |
1st | 152 | |||
| 2011 | Veltins Lechner Racing | IST 5 |
CAT 7 |
MON 1 |
NÜR 1 |
SIL 1 |
NÜR 1 |
HUN Ret |
SPA 2 |
MNZ 2 |
YMC 2 |
YMC 1 |
1st | 181 | ||
| 2012 | Lechner Racing | BHR 1 |
BHR 3 |
MON Ret |
VAL 1 |
SIL 1 |
HOC 1 |
HUN DNS |
HUN DNS |
SPA 2 |
MNZ 1 |
1st | 142 |
† Did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance. ‡ As Rast was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
Complete FIA GT Series results
edit| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS ultra | Pro | NOG QR 2 |
NOG CR 6 |
ZOL QR 3 |
ZOL CR 5 |
ZAN QR 3 |
ZAN CR Ret |
SVK QR 5 |
SVK CR 2 |
NAV QR |
NAV CR |
BAK QR 1 |
BAK CR 15 |
6th | 80 |
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
edit| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Sébastien Loeb Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 03R | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | SIL | SPA | LMS 4 |
COA | FUJ | SHA | BHR | SÃO | NC† | 0† | |
| 2015 | Audi Sport Team Joest | LMP1 | Audi R18 e-tron quattro | Audi TDI 4.0 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid Diesel) |
SIL | SPA 4 |
LMS 7 |
NÜR | COA | FUJ | SHA | BHR | 12th | 24 | |
| 2016 | G-Drive Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 05 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | SIL 3 |
SPA 5 |
LMS 2 |
NÜR Ret |
MEX 7 |
COA 3 |
FUJ | SHA | BHR 1 |
5th | 111 |
| 2022 | WRT | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SEB 2 |
SPA 1 |
LMS Ret |
MNZ 12 |
FUJ | BHR 1 |
6th | 91 | |||
| 2024 | BMW M Team WRT | Hypercar | BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW P66/3 4.0 L Turbo V8 | QAT 10 |
IMO 6 |
SPA 13 |
LMS NC |
SÃO 14 |
COA 13 |
FUJ Ret |
BHR Ret |
27th | 10 | |
| Source:[10] | |||||||||||||||
† As Rast was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Oreca 03R-Nissan | LMP2 | 354 | 8th | 4th | ||
| 2015 | Audi R18 e-tron quattro | LMP1 | 387 | 7th | 7th | ||
| 2016 | Oreca 05-Nissan | LMP2 | 357 | 6th | 2nd | ||
| 2022 | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 285 | DNF | DNF | ||
| 2023 | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 19 | DNF | DNF | ||
| LMP2 Pro-Am | |||||||
| 2024 | BMW M Hybrid V8 | Hypercar | 96 | NC | NC | ||
| Source:[10] | |||||||
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
edit| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Paul Miller Racing | GTD | Audi R8 LMS ultra | Audi 5.2L V10 | DAY 16 |
SEB | LGA | DET | WGL | MOS | IMS | ELK | VIR | COA | PET | 87th | 18 |
| 2015 | Paul Miller Racing | GTD | Audi R8 LMS ultra | Audi 5.2L V10 | DAY 5 |
SEB | LGA | DET | WGL | LIM | ELK | VIR | COA | PET | 38th | 27 | |
| 2016 | Magnus Racing | GTD | Audi R8 LMS | Audi 5.2L V10 | DAY 1 |
SEB | LGA | DET | WGL | MOS | LIM | ELK | VIR | COA | PET | 35th | 36 |
| 2017 | VisitFlorida Racing | P | Riley Mk. 30 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | DAY 3 |
SEB 6 |
LBH | COA | DET | WGL | MOS | ELK | LGA | PET | 23rd | 55 | |
| 2018 | Mazda Team Joest | P | Mazda RT24-P | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 | DAY 17 |
SEB 8 |
LBH | MDO | DET | WGL 13 |
MOS | ELK | LGA | PET | 35th | 55 | |
| 2019 | Mazda Team Joest | DPi | Mazda RT24-P | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 | DAY 11 |
SEB | LBH | MDO | DET | WGL | MOS | ELK | LGA | PET | 35th | 20 | |
| 2022 | G-Drive Racing by APR | LMP2 | Aurus 01 | Gibson GK428 V8 | DAY 5† |
SEB | LGA | MDO | WGL | ELK | PET | NC† | 0† | ||||
| 2024 | BMW M Team RLL | GTP | BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW P66/3 4.0 L Turbo V8 | DAY 7 |
SEB | LBH | LGA | DET | WGL | ELK | IMS | PET | 29th | 268 | ||
| Source:[10] | |||||||||||||||||
† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.
Complete Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup results
edit| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS ultra | Pro | NOG QR DSQ |
NOG CR 7 |
BRH QR 14 |
BRH CR 9 |
ZAN QR 4 |
ZAN CR 1 |
SVK QR 9 |
SVK CR 3 |
ALG QR 3 |
ALG CR 5 |
ZOL QR 4 |
ZOL CR Ret |
BAK QR 4 |
BAK CR Ret |
5th | 71 |
| 2016 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS | Pro | MIS QR 14 |
MIS CR Ret |
BRH QR |
BRH CR |
NÜR QR 3 |
NÜR CR 2 |
HUN QR 10 |
HUN CR 3 |
CAT QR 5 |
CAT CR 18 |
9th | 39 |
Complete Formula E results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Powertrain | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Team Aguri | Spark SRT01-e | SRT01-e | BEI | PUT | PDE | BUE | MEX | LBH | PAR | BER NC |
LDN | LDN | 23rd | 0 | ||||||
| 2019–20 | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | Spark SRT05e | Audi e-tron FE06 | DIR | DIR | SCL | MEX | MRK | BER 10 |
BER 13 |
BER Ret |
BER 16 |
BER 3 |
BER 4 |
15th | 29 | |||||
| 2020–21 | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | Spark SRT05e | Audi e-tron FE07 | DIR 4 |
DIR 17 |
RME 6 |
RME Ret |
VLC 5 |
VLC 6 |
MCO Ret |
PUE 2 |
PUE 10 |
NYC 10 |
NYC 20 |
LDN 5 |
LDN Ret |
BER 9 |
BER 9 |
13th | 78 | |
| 2022–23 | NEOM McLaren Formula E Team | Formula E Gen3 | Nissan e-4ORCE 04 | MEX Ret |
DRH 5 |
DRH 3 |
HYD Ret |
CAP 4 |
SAP 9 |
BER 17 |
BER 13 |
MCO 17 |
JAK 15 |
JAK 15 |
POR 14 |
RME Ret |
RME 13 |
LDN 14 |
LDN 12 |
13th | 40 |
Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† Did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
References
edit- ^ "Introducing...René Rast". Autosport. Vol. 200, no. 1. 2010-04-01. p. 63.
- ^ Simmons, Marcus (15 October 2017). "Rast snatches title as Wittmann wins finale". autosport.com. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ Gruz, David; Spacek, Julia (17 October 2018). "Audi: Rast's winning streak a 'record for eternity'". Motorsport. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ "The Champion Remains the Champion: René Rast Seals his Third DTM Drivers' Title". DTM. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ Smith, Topher (18 May 2016). "Rast to debut at Berlin ePrix". e-racing.net. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Race Results". FIA Formula E. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
- ^ Kew, Matt (27 October 2020). "Rast joins at Audi Formula E team full-time alongside di Grassi for 2020-21". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
- ^ "The logic behind McLaren's first Formula E driver signing". The Race. 2022-08-23. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
- ^ "Rene Rast And NEOM McLaren Part Company". The Official Home of Formula E. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "René Rast Results". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- René Rast career summary at DriverDB.com