By Steven English Monday, March 10th 2008, 12:42 GMT
Mercedes' DTM driversMercedes officially confirmed its DTM line-up today, with Ralf Schumacher and ex-Formula Three racer Maro Engel lining up in 2007-spec cars along with former champion Gary Paffett.
As expected, Briton Paul di Resta has been moved up to a new C-Class, alongside Bernd Schneider, Bruno Spengler, and Jamie Green.
The marque will only run nine cars this year, and no two-year-old models. Instead, Susie Stoddart and Mathias Lauda will step up to 2007 machinery.
Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug is confident that all the drivers on the roster have a good chance of winning races this season.
"Five of our drivers won at least one race last season," he said. "This shows that, with maximum competitiveness, there are chances to score points for all of our drivers.
"We will have a strong team again in 2008 and I'm sure the sport and the excitement of the new season will be at an even higher level."
Di Resta is relishing the opportunity to compete in a new model this year, after making his debut in a two-year-old car in 2007.
"Four podiums and seven points finishes in 10 races wasn't a bad balance for my first DTM season," he said. "I'm very happy to be a member of the HWA team now and I want to thank Mercedes for the confidence they've placed in me."
