Kelvin van der Linde (born 20 June 1996) is a South African and German sports car racing driver for BMW Motorsport.[3] He is a two-time champion of the ADAC GT Masters, having won the championship in 2014 and 2019, and won the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2017, 2022 and 2025. Van Der Linde formally competed in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for Abt Sportsline.[4] He also made his formula racing debut in Formula E at the 2023 Diriyah ePrix, driving for ABT Cupra as a substitute for the injured Robin Frijns.
Racing career
Van der Linde, a South African, started his career in racing in kart racing at the age of eight in 2005.
In 2011, van der Linde became the youngest driver to compete in a National South African Circuit event at the age of fourteen and also South Africa's youngest National Champion at the age of sixteen in 2012.
In 2013 van der Linde won the International Championship. At the age of seventeen, van der Linde became the youngest ever winner of the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup and became a Volkswagen-supported junior driver for the 2014 season. He became the youngest ADAC GT Masters champion at the age of eighteen driving an Audi R8 LMS Ultra.
In 2015, van der Linde was promoted to Audi factory driver, winning the 2017 24 Hours of Nürburgring and Suzuka 10 Hours.
2021
In 2021, van der Linde competed in the 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) for Abt Sportsline. He won four races and finished third in the drivers' championship. Going into the final round of the season, he was fighting for the drivers' championship title with Liam Lawson and Maximilian Götz.
During both of the final races of the Championship at the Norisring, van der Linde had similar incidents with Lawson. In the first race, van der Linde dived down the inside of Lawson, with Lawsonfinished in third. In the second race the consequences were much more serious; Lawson's car was damaged in a first-lap collision with van der Linde, who again dived down the inside of Lawson, taking Lawson out of contention for the title as he finished 18th. van der Linde was then given a five-second time penalty as a result. Towards the end of the race, van der Linde suffered a puncture in a battle with Götz and lost his chances to win the title, which eventually went to Götz after Mercedes issued team orders to the cars ahead of the latter to guarantee he finished in first.
2022
Days before the final round of the 2021 DTM season, Abt Sportsline confirmed van der Linde as their driver for the 2022 season.[5]
Formula E
ABT CUPRA Formula E Team (2023–)
2022–23 season
After Robin Frijns sustained a hand injury at the 2023 Mexico City ePrix, van der Linde was called upon to replace him at ABT Cupra for the rounds at Diriyah.[7] In his first weekend in single-seater racing, he managed to finish 16th during the first race and 18th on Saturday, which he stated gave him a base to build upon for the following event.[8]
2023–24 season
As a reserve driver of ABT Cupra, van der Linde returned for the 2024 Berlin ePrix
Personal life
In 2022, van der Linde initiated the process for acquiring the German citizenship after living in Kempten, Germany, since 2014.[10] In early 2024, the process was completed.[11]
Racing record
Racing career summary
† As van der Linde was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
Complete ADAC GT Masters results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete GT World Challenge Europe results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
External links
References
- 2014 GT3 Driver Categorisation fia.com, Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 16 October 2014, retrieved 8 January 2026^
- Graham Goodwin. 2020 FIA Driver Categorisation List Published Dailysportscar, 19 November 2019, retrieved 31 December 2025^
- Davey Euwema. Van der Linde Joins BMW Factory Roster – Sportscar365