Audi has announced that it has parted ways with two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom to bring an end to a 23-year partnership.
A special farewell for Ekstrom was organised by Audi at its factory in Ingolstadt on 26 September, which was attended by Audi Sport chief Rolf Michl and several other employees.
The event brought the curtain down to Ekstrom’s lengthy stint at the German manufacturer, where he established himself as one of the most versatile drivers in all of motorsport.
He landed a factory contract at Audi in 2001, two years after he had won the Swedish Touring Car Cup Championship in a privately-entered A4 quattro.
The Swedish driver went on to spend 17 years in the DTM with Audi and its factory team Abt - and the famous blue-and-red Red Bull livery that he raced during that time became an important part of the series’ folklore.
It wasn’t until the end of the 2017 season that he stepped down from the DTM, by which time he had racked up two titles, 25 wins and 83 podiums, becoming one of the series’ all-time greats.
Outside of the DTM, Ekstrom helped Audi’s customer racing programme clinch its first outright victory in a 24-hour race when he partnered with Timo Scheider and Greg Franch at the Spa 24 Hours in 2011.
Ekstrom also established a name for himself in other arenas, winning the 2016 World Rallycross title with his own factory-backed EKS team in an Audi S1.
More recently, he has represented Audi in cross-country rallying, securing its first-ever stage victory in the Dakar Rally in 2022 en route to finishing ninth overall in the drivers’ standings.
“Driving for Audi Sport was like a childhood dream coming true,” said the 46-year-old. “Looking back on more than two decades with the four rings brings back many memories.
“I had the chance to fulfill my dreams as a kid, like racing in the DTM, winning races and titles, and developing race cars. Winning the DTM title in 2004 is something I will cherish forever.
“But it was more than just motorsport. I had the chance to meet so many interesting and talented people and attended many great events.
“Being involved with the same company for so long is quite rare in motorsport, and I am very grateful for this period of my life. I can only say thank you to everyone at Audi.”
Audi has been steadily curtailing all its factory-supported motorsport programmes while diverting resources to its 2026 Formula 1 project with Sauber.
The rally-raid programme that he has been a part of since inception was concluded after its victory in the Dakar Rally earlier this year.
In recent times, Audi also pulled out of the DTM, Formula E, and stripped down its GT3 programme to a supply of spare parts.
Its entire pool of factory sportscar drivers was disbanded at the end of last year, although some drivers who had longer-term contracts ended up being retained by the brand for 2024.
Speaking of Ekstrom’s departure, Audi Sport boss Michl said: “We owe Mattias an immense amount, and in turn, we have helped him to the greatest successes of his career.
“To this day, I am impressed not only by his continuous performance but also by his excellent team spirit. Mattias has never concentrated solely on racing.
“He has always helped to drive projects forward, support our developers and promote the teams he has worked with.
“With these qualities and his series of successes, he is a great role model for many international talents in motorsport. We wish him all the best for his future career.”
