Scheider, 37, will leave the series a two-time champion, having amassed seven wins and 24 podiums since his debut back in 2000.

While he represented Opel in 2000-2004, all of his wins and podiums came after his switch to Audi in 2006 following a one-year hiatus.

He won the drivers' title for the Ingolstadt marque in 2008 and doubled up in 2009.

Scheider, who also has wins in the 24 Hours of Spa and 24 Hours of Nurburgring, announced his decision to leave the DTM in a press conference late Saturday at Hockenheim, the track that played host to his most recent category win last year.

He is the third current DTM driver to confirm that he is parting ways with the series after 2016, joining fellow German veteran Martin Tomczyk and Portugal's Antonio Felix da Costa in doing so.