What happened: Results & facts
DTM: Paul Di Resta leaves Spielberg as leader in drivers’ standings
News snippets
Prince tours his city: The Monaco Grand Prix is a very special home race for Nico Rosberg: “I grew up in the city and still live there, and I associate certain memories that go right back to my school days with every corner.” No doubt, then, that he especially enjoyed a tour of the city with a difference. Accompanied by Prince Albert, he took a 1955 Mercedes-Benz SL 300 gullwing on a tour through the streets of the Principality on Tuesday.
New media portal: With immediate effect, the new media portal of the Silver Arrows Formula 1 teams is available to all print, online and TV media representatives, featuring various content from all racing events. The database currently contains all images, audio files, videos and documents from the 2016 season. Over the coming months, archive material, featuring the Formula 1 comeback of the Silver Arrows in 2010 and historical content from the 1950s, will also be included.
Link to new media portal: media.mercedesamgf1.com
Success in tractor challenge: Tractors not DTM cars. Three DTM drivers went head-to-head in a hilarious tractor race during the Spielberg DTM weekend. “That was really cool,” said Maximilian Götz. Antonio Felix da Costa (BMW) and Mike Rockenfeller (Audi) were at a disadvantage when compared to the real deal from Bavaria. “We were just about neck and neck in the slalom, but I showed the other guys how it’s done when reversing into a parking bay! I won the sack race last time. It would be even nicer, though, if things would quickly get back to normal in the racing car.”
DTM at 24-hr race: Three Mercedes-AMG DTM drivers will travel directly from Styria to the Eifel. Maximilian Götz and Christian Vietoris will line up there next weekend in the 24-hr race at the Nürburgring. “I’ve already won the 24-hours of Spa-Francorchamps – the Nürburgring is still on my to-do list!” said Maximilian Götz. On Friday 27 May, Daniel Juncadella will race in the Youngtimer Trophy at the Nürburgring, driving a classic Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5 Evolution II which has been rebuilt by Mercedes-Benz. He will contest the three-hour race in the ADAC 24-Hour Classic as he did last year. Juncadella will share the cockpit with TV presenter, Matthias Malmedie.
Mega display of ‘Mercs’: One of the highlights of the motor racing season, the ADAC Zurich 24-hr race, will take place at the Nürburgring this weekend. No fewer than nine Mercedes-AMG GT3s will line up on the Eifel circuit for the long distance classic. One of the main focal points for fans will be the AMG Fan Base at the northern entrance to the paddock. It is open to all visitors with an Event Ticket. The series production models and racing cars on display, ranging from GT3 cars to DTM and Formula 1 vehicles, will thrill every true petrol-head. Moreover, there will be plenty of special activities on offer:
Friday, 27th May at 2:00 pm: AMG autograph and interview session
Saturday, May 28 at 8:00 pm: AMG Race Party with live band and DJ.
Three questions for Christian Vietoris
Chris, you will be taking part in the 24-hr race at the Nürburgring this weekend. How important is this race to you?
Christian Vietoris: “When you’ve grown up not far from the Nordschleife, then you get to hear about the many legends surrounding the track from a very early age. It’s absolutely amazing that I’m now taking part in this race, for sure! Since we were not all that successful last year, our goal for this season has to be to come away with some points.”
Now tell us, and please be honest. Does racing at the Nordschleife strike a little bit of fear into your heart?
Christian Vietoris: “Well, let’s just say, the race is definitely not for wimps. You have to grit your teeth at times and say a quick prayer. It’s not just the track that’s dangerous, though. There are so many cars with different power outputs in the race, and the driving abilities of the drivers also vary greatly. You need your guardian angel with you, especially at night or in typical Eiffel weather conditions with fog and rain. But no, I’m not afraid. I have a healthy respect for the circuit, shall we say? “
Lining up in the 24-hr race will be a welcome distraction, I should imagine, since the last DTM race weekend did not go so well?
Christian Vietoris: “No, the two events are quite different. From my perspective, I would much rather go straight back out in another DTM race to forget the poor result. Yes, it’s true, Spielberg was a dead loss for our team, but you sometimes get race weekends like that. However, I think that Mercedes will be back on form at the Lausitzring. I’m racing with Mücke Motorsport this year, you know, so that makes it a home race for me at the Lausitzring.”
Three questions for Thomas Jäger
Thomas Jäger is AMG Customer Sports Coordinator as well as the AMG test and development driver. In this year’s ADAC Zurich 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, he will be one of the four HTP Motorsport drivers taking it in turns behind the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with the number 30 on its door.
What’s your assessment of the strength of the field for the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring?
Thomas Jäger: “The quality of the line-up this year is extremely high, because there will be more than 30 cars on the grid capable of winning the race. Never before has there been such a high-calibre field of starters. The Technical Committee therefore has a really challenging task in ensuring a level playing field for the different marques here.”
How do you rate Mercedes-AMG’s chances?
Thomas Jäger: “In all the preparatory runs with the new Mercedes-AMG GT3, we have opened up the throttle and proved our competitiveness with podium results. However, it’s difficult to assess the state of the opposition. In any case, it’s going to be an exciting race.”
This will be the first time that Mercedes-AMG has performance teams in action. What’s new here?
Thomas Jäger: “This will be the first time we have assisted AMG Customer Sport teams who in the past have qualified by virtue of outstanding skills and performance. These so-called ‘performance teams’ are eligible for technical support and assistance from the AMG driver squad. This year, we will be assisting three AMG performance teams – Black Falcon, HARIBO and HTP – which are entering a total of seven AMG GT3 vehicles. In addition, there will be two Customer Sport cars on the grid.”
Social Media News
Silver Arrows Show: This week, we hear from Chief Operating Officer Rob Thomas and Head of Build Peter Hodgkinson about the work required to rebuild the two Silver Arrows driven by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg after the accident in Barcelona and how the team are preparing the cars for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Watch video clip:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvM3qY6uVL8#DTM360: Team pits, Hospitality and mega experience: Fans have never been able to experience the DTM like this before! Appearing on the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team Facebook page, Thore Schölermann in his role as presenter for the Mercedes-AMG DTM Race Hub takes fans on a 360-degree tour behind the scenes in a video clip and shows them things that they would not normally get to see!
Watch video clips:
www.facebook.com/mercedesamgdtmOn a secret mission: Lucas Auer mingled with fans in the paddock at his home race in Spielberg. Dressed incognito with dark sunglasses and black cap, he asked fans about the Austrian guy in the DTM, Lucas Auer... How many people do you think recognised the DTM star on his secret mission?
Watch video clip:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0R8mGtZUYU
