Philipp Eng has been a BMW M Motorsport factory driver since 2016 and has had great success. He’s won the Spa 24 Hour race three times, had a class win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2019, and won the Indianapolis 8 Hour race in 2023. Along with Jesse Krohn, Eng also became the first to win in the M Hybrid V8 prototype, which he’s driven for BMW M Team RLL in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the last two years. In his earlier racing career, Eng also competed in the Formula BMW series in Europe in 2006.
BimmerLife: How did you get started in racing?
Philipp Eng: It was a very long time ago. I was seven at the time. The German karting championship was still broadcast on German TV, and I told my dad that I would like to try it. I tried many different sports. I tried tennis, football and cycling but that didn’t really fulfill me. When I first got into a go-kart, I knew that racing was what I wanted to do for my life.
BL: Was your dad into racing at all when you started?
PE: Not at all, no. Nobody in the family had any kind of racing connection. It was all me, and I think that was one of the advantages I had early in my career, because my parents never pushed me to go racing. It was always me.
BL: Was getting to Formula 1 your goal when you started?
PE: Yes, definitely. I had that dream for a very long time. Unfortunately, we just didn’t have the financial backing to make that last. I had a two-day test with BMW Sauber back in the day in F1 and had an offer on the table, but we just didn’t manage to put the package together.
Eng behind the wheel of the M Hybrid V8 at Watkins Glen.
BL: How important was Formula BMW in your development as a driver when you were younger? (Eng raced in Formula BMW in 2007-2008)
PE: It was very important. At the time, Formula BMW was the feeder series as an entry-level single-seater series. It was very competitive, and I was lucky enough to be a BMW Junior back in the day. I learned a lot, from how to deal with the media to how to do my training and just live and behave as a racing driver. I’m still capitalizing from that now. There were a lot of drivers who went through that series that are having great careers now.
BL: You had some good battles with Jens Klingmann and Marco Wittmann back then, who are fellow BMW works drivers now. . . .
PE: I have a picture of us together in Formula BMW back in 2007 at Oschersleben. Marco won, Jens finished second and I was third. Those are very good memories.
BL: How different were the DTM cars that you competed with before the series switched to GT3 cars in 2021? (DTM Class 1 cars used through 2020 were essentially prototypes with bodywork, with a lot more downforce and horsepower than the GT3-spec cars they use today)
PE: They were much different. They are very similar to the current IMSA GTP cars I would say. Almost the same weight. GTP cars have less downforce than the Class 1 DTM cars had, but more power. Still, I find that my driving style with the M Hybrid V8 GTP car is very similar to the way I drove the Class 1 M4 DTM. Those were incredible machines, and it was a fantastic time to be involved with a full works team with BMW at that time. I miss those times.
Eng in the Class 1 M4 DTM in 2020.
BL: BMW M Team RLL has had a challenging year in IMSA with the M Hybrid V8, but it must have been very fulfilling to get that first win for the car at Indianapolis.
PE: It was a big relief for everybody in the program. We didn’t win that race by luck, but through pace and strategy and just mistake-free execution. I was so happy for everyone in the whole team because it was a proper team effort. We had some challenging times at the beginning of the season, but around the Watkins Glen and Road America races we really made some big steps. We made a few changes and understood the car better and better. To win at Indianapolis was extremely special, but you’re only as good as your last race.
Eng (right) and Jesse Krohn celebrate their win in the M Hybrid V8 at Indy.
BL: How much do you have to change your driving style going back and forth between the GTP (prototype) and GT3 cars?
PE: I always find it easier to go from the GT3 car to the GTP car, because the GTP car has more downforce, more power and less weight. It’s impressive how much power there is in the GTP car every time you get out of the pits and release the pit limiter. It doesn’t take long to adapt between the two cars. We have such an extensive racing program that I’m driving both cars a lot.
I’m used to both worlds.
BL: What was the biggest challenge in initially getting up to speed in the GTP car?
PE: It was mainly the braking, because those cars use a brake-by-wire system. That was a challenge to adapt to as a driver and as a team. BMW is very experienced from being in Formula E, so they know what to do with the systems, but with the GTP cars you have a combustion engine along with the electric engine. The cars are very complicated, but we’re getting there.
Eng won the Indy 8 Hour in 2023 in a Team WRT M4 GT3.
BL: Do you enjoy racing against fellow factory BMW drivers?
PE: Between all of us BMW drivers, we all get along extremely well. Everybody understands what our task is, so we are very professional on one side, but every time we see each other in the paddock we have a good laugh.
BL: What are your favorite tracks in North America and worldwide?
PE: In North America its Road America, but for worldwide it’s the Nürburgring Nordschleife. I also really like Sebring. It’s a special event, with so many crazy fans.
BL: What do you drive on the street?
PE: I drive an M3 Touring, and it’s my favorite car. It has the best of all worlds.
—David Haueter
[Photos by LAT Images, BMW, SRO and David Haueter]
