Factory Mercedes driver Jules Gounon will make his DTM debut in this weekend’s final round at Hockenheim, replacing Luca Stolz at HRT.
Double Spa 24 Hours winner Gounon has been drafted into the #4 HRT Mercedes AMG GT3 at the last-minute after Stolz had to withdraw from the Hockenheim races due to health reasons.
No further information was provided about 29-year-old Stolz, who was due to see out his third full season with the team in the German GT3-based series.
A statement from HRT read: “Luca Stolz (GER) of Mercedes-AMG Team HRT has been forced to withdraw from this weekend's DTM finale at Hockenheim for health reasons.
“The 29-year-old's place in the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 will be taken by Jules Gounon (AND).
“The Haupt Racing Team thanks Jules for stepping in at short notice and wishes Luca a speedy recovery.”
Gounon brings with him a wealth of experience of GT racing, having won the Bathurst 12 Hour on three occasions and scored class victories in major IMSA SportsCar Championship enduros including Daytona 24 Hours and Petit Le Mans.
His illustrious CV includes two titles in GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with Mercedes, as well as the 2017 GT Masters title at the wheel of a Corvette C7.
This year has seen the second-generation driver expand his horizons into prototype racing, competing in three rounds of the World Endurance Championship with Alpine in the Hypercar class.
After making his first appearance in the DTM in Germany on 18-20 October, he will be back behind the wheel of the Alpine A424 LMDh in the Bahrain 8 Hours WEC finale on 2 November.
The HRT outfit he is joining in the DTM currently sits fifth in the teams’ standings, two spots behind fellow factory-supported Mercedes team Winward.
The squad’s best runner in the standings is Arjun Maini in eighth on 128 points, while Stolz is placed just one spot behind in ninth after scoring a first win of 2024 at the Sachsenring last month.
Both drivers are out of the championship fight, although another Mercedes driver Maro Engel (Winward) remains firmly in the hunt in third place, 20 points behind championship leader Mirko Bortolotti of SSR Lamborghini.
Engel's team-mate Lucas Auer, the last remaining driver in the four-strong Mercedes roster, sits 12th in the drivers standings.
