Successful curtain-raiser for Mercedes-AMG DTM Team in home race at Hockenheim
This is what happened: Weekend’s results & facts
News from the Mercedes-AMG motorsport teams
Three questions for Pascal Wehrlein
Social media news: What’s new online?
This week’s important dates and events
What happened: Results & facts
DTM – Race 1: Robert Wickens finishes second to secure 250th podium for Mercedes-AMG since the year 2000
DTM – Race 2: Comfortable seventh DTM win for Paul Di Resta; Gary Paffett moves up seven paces after going on furious charge following drive-through penalty
DTM: Mercedes-AMG lead overall standings for drivers, teams and manufacturers after first race weekend of season
Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup: Bernd Schneider und Jules Szymkowiak (HTP Motorsport) win first race at Brands Hatch and book second place for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in second race
24-hr series – Zandvoort: P3 for Hofor Racing in race-prepared SLS AMG GT3 gullwing, driven by Michael Kroll, Chantal Kroll, Kenneth Heyer, Chrsitiaan Frankenhout and Lance David Arnold
Australian GT championship: Win for Scott Taylor and Craig Baird (Scott Taylor Motorsport) in Mercedes-AMG GT3 in second race at Perth
News snippets
New result in Race 2: On Sunday evening, the stewards disqualified Timo Glock (BMW) for infringement of Article 3.7 of the technical regulations. He lost his position in the standings of the second DTM race at Hockenheim as a result. Consequently, all the drivers placed behind Glock moved up one position, which ultimately resulted in P4 and P5 respectively for Mercedes-AMG DTM drivers Gary Paffett (EURONICS Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) and Robert Wickens (SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM).
Vive la Mannschaft: On Friday afternoon, Maximilian Götz unveiled the final design of his Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM for the new DTM season, and it’s all about football. Almost one month before the opening match of the European Football Championships kicks off in France on 10 June 2016, the Mercedes-Benz Vive la Mannschaft campaign slogan now adorns the car driven by Götz. His #84 is picked out in the colours of the German national squad. “That’s really cool,” said Goetz. “So, not only am I representing the special Mercedes-Benz models, but also our national team!”
Online race competition under way: The new Mercedes-AMG online race competition was launched on Saturday at Hockenheim. In the online championship, players race the Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM around the eight original tracks being used for the 2016 DTM season. The entrants who do best will be invited to the DTM finale at Hockenheim where they will compete against the eight Mercedes-AMG DTM drivers. The best players will be rewarded with places in an event at the AMG Driving Academy.
Entry details and further information at: mercedes.me/onlineracecompetition
DTM champion at Hockenheim: Reigning DTM champion Pascal Wehrlein called on his team-mates from last year at Hockenheim and kept his fingers crossed for the Mercedes-AMG DTM drivers. “That was really cool,” said Wehrlein. “I’ve been really looking forward to catching up again with my old crew and team-mates from the past few years.” His next outing will be this coming weekend for Manor Racing in the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona.
Three questions for Pascal Wehrlein
What was it like to be a spectator at the DTM in Hockenheim and not a driver sitting in the cockpit?
Pascal Wehrlein: “It was a strange feeling when the cars came out on track for the first time. You get used to being a part of it all when you’ve been in the series for three years and have won the championship. This was the first time this weekend that I’ve seen the cars race without taking part. It felt weird. It obviously got the adrenaline going. I would have liked to have jumped in a car and taken part, but still, it was really cool to be on the outside watching all the drivers, teams and cars. I’ve really been fully focused on my work these last few years and have had tunnel vision, but I could hear this time just what the drivers were discussing with their engineers on the radio. It was an interesting experience.”
What do you miss most about the DTM now that you are in Formula 1?
Pascal Wehrlein: “The fights in the DTM are really cool, proper wheel-to-wheel action with contacts. You can’t do that in F1. The scraps were lots of good fun, really great. Also, I made many friends in the paddock and in our team over the years. I’m really good friends with my mechanics. We weren’t just workmates at the track, we’re still good buddies, and it was really great to see them all again.”
You switched from single-seater racing to the DTM. What advice would you give a DTM rookie like Esteban Ocon?
Pascal Wehrlein: “This year, he’s in a similar situation to the one I found myself in when I joined the DTM. You first have to get used to the racing series and to the car, but there are no major problems in making the switch. We can all drive a racing car quickly. What makes the difference in the DTM is finding the last tenth of a second, that’s tricky. You also need experience with setup. As regards to drivers, the DTM is in no way inferior to Formula 1. The top drivers in both series are extremely fast and very hard to beat. Every one of them is a specialist in his field.”
Social Media News
Race Hub TV: What goes on behind the scenes at a DTM race weekend? Thore Schölermann gives fans a look at what’s happening in the pits via Mercedes-AMG DTM Race Hub TV and also puts an interesting slant on drivers and team members. At Hockenheim, apart from getting on with his other work, the famous TV presenter and actor found time to join Gary Paffett in a live stream on the team’s Facebook page to present the new EURONICS Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupe #TrendCar.
Videos on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/MercedesAMGDTMLive streams on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/MercedesAMGDTMDTM Race Hub website: mercedes.me/racehubdtm
Inside story from the Russian GP: In the current edition of the Silver Arrows show on YouTube, Mercedes-Benz Head of Motorsport Toto Wolff describes what happened in the Russian Grand Prix – from the drama in qualifying to the power unit’s water pressure problem and the fantastic one-two victory! What’s more, we share a taxi with Lewis Hamilton on the way to the Sochi Autodrom, and the team’s Head of Composite Design tells us his podium story.
