Audi and Mattias Ekström end partnership after 23 years

After more than two decades of collaboration, Audi has announced the departure of Mattias Ekström, the Swedish driver who has been a key figure in their team since 2001. During these years, Ekström not only won multiple titles but also became an outstanding ambassador for the German brand in various motorsport disciplines.

On September 26, Audi held a special event at its factory in Ingolstadt to bid farewell to Ekström. The ceremony was attended by Audi employees, as well as Audi Sport Director Rolf Michl, who highlighted the importance of the driver in the company’s history. “We owe a lot to Mattias, and in return, we have helped him achieve the greatest successes of his career,” Michl commented.

A career full of achievements with Audi

Mattias Ekström joined Audi as a factory driver in 2001, although his relationship with the brand began in 1999 when he won the Swedish Touring Car Championship with an Audi A4 quattro. Since then, Ekström accumulated a series of victories and titles, including two DTM championships in 2004 and 2007. In his 17 years in the category, Ekström achieved 23 wins and 83 podiums, becoming one of the greats of the competition.

In addition to his success in DTM, the Swede played a key role in other disciplines. In 2011, Ekström helped Audi’s customer racing program achieve its first overall 24-hour race victory, when, together with Timo Scheider and Greg Franchi, he won the 24 Hours of Spa. His versatility as a driver was also reflected in his participation in rallycross, where he won the World Rallycross Championship in 2016 with his own team, EKS, driving an Audi S1.

Ekström and Dakar

In recent years, Mattias Ekström broadened his horizons by joining Audi’s ambitious Dakar Rally project. In 2022, Ekström achieved Audi’s first stage win in the race, demonstrating his ability to adapt to the demanding desert conditions. During his 2024 participation, the Swede secured four stage wins and led the rally for one day.

Ekström not only excelled in Dakar but also made innovative contributions to Audi’s project, helping to develop the Audi RS Q e-tron, an electric vehicle designed to compete in one of the world’s toughest environments.

An emotional farewell

Ekström himself described his time with Audi as “a childhood dream come true,” recalling the many important moments he experienced during his more than 20 years with the brand. “I had the opportunity to fulfill the dreams I had as a child, like racing in DTM, winning races and titles, and developing race cars,” the Swedish driver said in his farewell.