Gary Paffett, driver of the THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class, placed the highest among all Mercedes-Benz drivers during the eighth race of the season at Oschersleben. Following technical problems in qualifying, the British driver started 18th on the grid, moving up 14 places during the race to finish in fourth place overall.
Christian Vietoris, Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class driver, took fifth place, scoring four points for the first time in his DTM career. After being moved back to 17th on the grid, he improved by twelve places to finish fifth.
Driver of the GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class, Maro Engel, finished seventh, and so was also in the points. David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished tenth and eleventh respectively.
Bruno Spengler, Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class driver, retired on lap 43 with a technical problem. Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) also failed to finish his 40th DTM race. Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) were forced to retire during the race’s early stages.
Across the race weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), a total of 65,000 spectators visited the Oschersleben circuit to watch the DTM race.
Race summary
The start: Rain began to fall about an hour before the start of the race, so drivers posted two parade laps in order to adjust to the wet track conditions. The race distance has been shortened by one lap to 49 laps. Bruno Spengler moves into the lead from second place on the grid. Ralf Schumacher goes up three positions into P4.
Lap 3: Susie Stoddart retires after a spin.
Lap 4: Spengler leads the field. Schumacher in fourth place. Jamie Green, Renger van der Zande and Christian Vietoris currently in positions seven to nine.
Lap 5: Renger van der Zande forced to retire after an exit onto the grass as a result of a collision.
Lap 7: Mattias Ekström (Audi) overtakes Spengler and is in the lead.
Lap 10: Schumacher retires after a spin and a collision with Filipe Albuquerque (Audi).
Lap 12: The pit stop window is now open. Gary Paffett is the first C-Class driver to make a mandatory pit stop.
Lap 17: Jamie Green and Christian Vietoris come in for their first pit stop at the same time.
Lap 22: Gary Paffett moves up one position into eighth place. Vietoris, Paffett and Green in places seven to nine.
Lap 23: Green pits for his second mandatory pit stop.
Lap 26: First pit stop for Maro Engel.
Lap 27: Spengler pits for the first time and reemerges in P2.
Lap 30: Spengler pits for second time.
Lap 36: Gary Paffett comes in for his second mandatory pit stop and reemerges in fourth place.
Lap 43: Spengler retires due to a technical problem.
Final lap: After 45 laps and a total distance of 166.320 km, Gary Paffett is the best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver in fourth position at the eighth race of the season in Oschersleben. The race was ended after the maximum duration of 70 minutes, because of the heavy rain. Christian Vietoris was fifth, securing his first DTM points. Maro Engel in P7 also finishes in the points.
Comments after the race:
Gary Paffett (AMG Mercedes C THOMAS SABO-Class) – fourth:
“I’m very satisfied with fourth place considering that I started from 18th position. Before the race, I hadn’t expected to be the best-placed C-Class driver. The conditions were very difficult, just like at Brands Hatch, and the race was very chaotic at times, which helped me to make good so many places. The car’s performance was also excellent. If I hadn’t spun on the first turn, I could possibly have come home before Martin Tomczyk. I’m very sorry for Bruno and his DNF, but all is not lost – the title race is not yet decided.”
Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) – fifth:
“I’ve finally achieved my first points in the DTM. My team did a super job – they were faultless. We’ve had the speed plenty of times before, but today we were able to convert that into points. The rain suited me, because I like driving in challenging conditions. Now I’m hoping to rack up some more points in the last couple of races.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) – seventh:
“More would definitely have been possible than a seventh place. Oliver Jarvis gave Jamie a shove, which then made him drive into me. That caused me to spin – but for that I would certainly have finished further up the field. The car worked very well. The team have done a good job today, and our strategy was the right one.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 10th:
“It was an action-packed race here today, and the weather conditions were far from easy. One minute, I was making good progress up the field, then I dropped back again – in the end tenth place is a reasonable result.”
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 11th:
“The first lap was very eventful – four cars spun in front of me. Oliver Jarvis forced me over to the outside, causing me to hit Maro. My C-Class was damaged slightly and I no longer had the speed to keep up with the race leaders. An error on the first turn cost me more time, but unfortunately, I simply wasn’t fast enough.”
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) – retired:
“It was just bad luck – nothing you can do. Unfortunately, something suddenly went wrong with the front of the car, and then it wasn’t as drivable as at the start. We don’t yet know exactly what the problem was. I tried to keep going, because there still might have been a chance of securing some points, but I had to retire. It’s unfortunate, but it’s not the end of the world. There are still two races to go and we’re certainly not about to give up. There’s still plenty to fight for.”
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) – retired:
“Conditions were very difficult. We had a problem with the rear axle, but at the same time, we had to drive on the limit in order not to drop too far back and lose connection with the rest of the field. The rear wheels locked up going into the first turn. That shouldn’t really happen, but sometimes does in these circumstances – too bad. Martin Tomczyk was generally a bit faster than me, but under normal circumstances wouldn’t have got past me. I don’t actually know what went on in the collision with Filipe Albuquerque. He made contact with my rear off-side, but I didn’t really notice, because I was focused on what was happening in front of me.”
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) – retired:
“I’m very disappointed, because there was a real chance of some points today. I had a very good start and was lying seventh. Conditions were tricky, but the car felt good. After contact with another driver, I slid off onto the grass and crashed into the wall.”
Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) – retired:
“Sadly, my race was over far too soon. In the difficult conditions I misbraked, skidding off into the gravel. Overall, driving today wasn’t all that easy. Now I’m just looking forward to the next race.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“Bruno was on course to secure the championship lead when he was lying second. Had he finished in that position, he would’ve gone into the lead at the top of the table. But a problem with the front end of the car – which we still have to investigate – prevented him. We now have to make good a nine-point deficit in Valencia und Hockenheim.”
Gary Paffett driver of the THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes-Benz C-Class, finished the seventh round of the 2011 DTM series at Brands Hatch, which was also a home race for Paffett, in 4th place after starting from second position. Paffett started and finished the race as the best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver.
Race summary
The start: The race begins in wet conditions. Because of the rain, the drivers complete two parade laps and the race distance is reduced by one lap to 97 laps. Gary Paffett finishes lap one in fifth place, while Ralf Schumacher maintains P6. Christian Vietoris moves up one place and is tenth. David Coulthard moved up three places to 13th.
Lap 4: Bruno Spengler overtakes Miguel Molina (Audi) and moves into eighth position. Vietoris also passes Molina to take ninth place.
Lap 10: Coulthard now in P11.
Lap 12: Spengler overtakes Jamie Green and is seventh.
Lap 16: Vietoris moves up into P9.
Lap 24: The pit stop window is now open, and both Green and Coulthard come in to make their first stops.
Lap 26 : Maro Engel makes his first mandatory pit stop.
Lap 32: Vietoris pits for the first time.
Lap 36: Susie Stoddart comes in for her first pit stop and draws up in front of her crew.
Lap 43: Schumacher makes his first pit stop lying in sixth place.
Lap 45: The rain is now falling heavier again. Paffett, currently in P4, comes in to make his first mandatory pit stop, and reemerges ahead of Mike Rockenfeller (Audi) and Schumacher.
Lap 46: Schumacher overtakes Rockenfeller. Green pits for the second time.
Lap 56: Third-placed Spengler comes into the pit lane to make his first mandatory pit stop.
Lap 70: Paffett, Schumacher and Coulthard come in for a second set of fresh tyres.
Lap 71: Spengler comes in for his second and final mandatory pit stop.
Lap 85: Green gets the better of Oliver Jarvis (Audi), moving up into eighth position.
Final lap: After 88 laps and a total distance of 169.752 km, Gary Paffett comes home as the best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver in P4 at the seventh race of the season in Brands Hatch. Owing to heavy rain, the race ran to the 70-minute time limit rather than the full planned distance. Ralf Schumacher gained one position from sixth on the grid to finish in fifth place. David Coulthard gains four places in the course of the race to finish twelfth.
Comments after the race:
Gary Paffett (AMG Mercedes C THOMAS SABO-Class) – Fourth:
“Fourth place is obviously not ideal, but given the circumstances, it’s a decent result. I was fastest this morning in warm-up, so it could have gone better for us in the dry, but it was a tough race in the wet. I dropped down a couple of places at the start and after that, couldn’t initially keep up with the pace of the leaders. In the second half of the race we were more competitive, and I kept closing on Edoardo Mortara in third place, but unfortunately in the end it wasn’t enough.”
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Fifth:
“Although the rain made conditions tricky, this was a good race for me – I’m more than satisfied with fifth place. My C-Class was really quick today, and the crew did some excellent work – so a special thanks to them.”
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) – Seventh:
“Unfortunately the heavy rain really didn’t suit me – starting eighth on the grid, the spray meant I had very poor visibility out on track. That’s why I drove carefully in the beginning to avoid taking any risks, and not make any mistakes. Many thanks to my team for their quick work in the pits, which enabled me to move up a place – that won me two valuable points in the overall standings. I’ll be back on the attack over the next three races, aiming to score as many points as possible.”
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Eighth:
“I’m of course not too happy with eighth place in the race, in view of starting from fourth position on the grid. It was an eventful race for me – on the first stint I went into the gravel, then I spun: both incidents cost me a lot of time. Still, I fought my way back into the points and I overtook Oliver Jarvis just before the finish for eighth place.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Tenth:
“Unfortunately, I didn’t get away well. Timo Scheider forced me over to the outside of the track in turn one, causing me to drop down the field a few places. My C-Class had plenty of speed after that and I moved up a couple of positions. Unfortunately, my car sustained some damage in a collision with Miguel Molina. It wasn’t easy to drive from that point onwards. My team did a great job and we had a good strategy – but today unfortunately, more just wasn’t possible.” David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Twelfth:
“I moved up four places during the race, but all in all I had a poor day. Racing in the wet is certainly more entertaining for the spectators, but I always prefer dry conditions. It’s a shame, because my C-Class was quick today.”
Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 13th:
“Sadly, the race didn’t go according to plan for me – even though I’d hoped for rain. I got off to a decent start from eleventh on the grid and moved up a few places. Unfortunately, I lost some time in a pit stop and then later on I received a drive-through penalty – after that, 13th was the best I could achieve.”
Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 14th:
“The heavy rain meant this wasn’t an easy race for any of the drivers. The conditions were so bad that at times I had problems keeping the car on the track. At least I had an exciting duel with Renger van der Zande, but overall I’m afraid this wasn’t a good weekend for me.”
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 15th:
“Unfortunately, I just wasn’t quick enough today. Actually, I fancied my chances more in the wet than yesterday in the dry, but unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way. We must now sit down together and analyse the data to find the cause.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“Our performance in the wet today wasn’t as strong as usual, but the points standings are now almost level at the top of the table with just three races to go this season. The battle for the title starts here and Bruno Spengler is in with an excellent chance. Congratulations to Audi on their one-two-three finish.”
Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class Driver, Bruno Spengler, was the best Mercedes-Benz driver in the sixth race of the season at the Nürburgring in second place. The Canadian driver extended his lead in the DTM drivers’ standings to 47 points, and leads the table by seven points.
Three AMG Mercedes C-Class drivers finished in the Top Ten: After 49 laps, Spengler’s team-mate Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home in sixth place, securing three championship points. Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) moved up five positions from 13th place on the grid to finish the race in eighth place.
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) missed the Top Ten by a whisker; the DTM rookie came home in eleventh place. Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class), Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished in P13, 14 and 15. David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) had to make an extra pit stop after a collision, and was 17th at the finish. Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired on the first lap of the race.
Coulthard posted the fastest lap, 1:25.588 minutes, his second in DTM and the 29th for Mercedes-Benz at the circuit in the Eifel. Since 2006, Mercedes-Benz drivers have secured the fastest race lap four times at the Nürburgring.
Across the race weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), a total of 86,500 spectators visited the Nürburgring circuit to watch the DTM race.
Race summary
The start: Bruno Spengler moves up one position to third place. Gary Paffett goes up from P13 to P9. Maro Engel up three places to finish the first lap in 14th place.
Lap 1: Ralf Schumacher retires after a collision.
Lap 5: David Coulthard pits for a new front engine cover after a collision.
Lap 9: Renger van der Zande wins an exciting scrap with fellow Mercedes-Benz driver, Paffett, and moves up into P10.
Lap 12: The pit stop window is now open. Paffett is the first Mercedes-Benz driver to pit. Van der Zande also comes in for fresh tyres.
Lap 13: Jamie Green and Susie Stoddart make their first mandatory pit stop.
Lap 15: Spengler comes into the pits in third place for his first stop. Fresh tyres also for Christian Vietoris.
Lap 20: Four Mercedes-Benz drivers in the Top Ten: Spengler third, Green seventh. Paffett and van der Zande in P9 and 10.
Lap 23: Green is the first driver to make his second and final pit stop of the race.
Lap 25: Van der Zande pits for a second time for fresh tyres. Coulthard also comes into the pit lane.
Lap 27: Vietoris pits for a second time and then overtakes Rahel Frey (Audi).
Lap 28: Gary Paffett and Stoddart pit for fresh tyres. Coulthard posts the fastest race lap so far.
Lap 30: Third-placed Spengler comes into the pit lane for the second time, and subsequently maintains his position in the race.
Lap 35: Coulthard makes his final mandatory pit stop.
Lap 39: Spengler reels in Mike Rockenfeller (Audi) in the fight for second place. The Mercedes-Benz driver is just 0.3 seconds down on Rockenfeller.
Lap 47: Rockenfeller misjudges his braking in the Mercedes Arena und Spengler sails past to secure second place two laps before the finish.
Finish (Lap 49): After 49 laps and a total distance of 177.821 km, Spengler is best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver, securing a podium place in P2. Green comes home in P6, Paffett in P8.
Comments after the race:
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) – Second:
“I’m happy with my second place. I overtook Mike Rockenfeller just two laps before the finish. My C-Class was very fast today, but I couldn’t use all the speed, as I couldn’t find a way past Mike for quite a time. Many thanks to the team for a great, consistent car.”
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Sixth:
“I had intended to be challenging for victory today. I started the race from second on the grid but lost a couple of positions straightaway. Then, a less than perfect pit stop cost me additional time. It was a bit frustrating because I got stuck in heavy traffic for quite a while, which meant I wasn’t able to use the excellent pace of my C-Class to best advantage.”
Gary Paffett (AMG Mercedes C THOMAS SABO-Class) – Eighth:
“Considering I started from 13th on the grid, a P8 finish is quite an achievement. I made good five positions today – the field was so tightly bunched, that there was scope to have done even better. I really enjoyed the race. My C-Class was fast and I made good progress through the field.”
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Eleventh:
“Unfortunately, I just missed out on the Top Ten. That’s annoying, because I know I could have done better today – my car had excellent pace. The target for this race was to get into a points position, but on the first couple of laps, I got into a few scrapes with other cars and sustained damage to my C-Class. Anyway, I’ll be pushing hard again in the next race and trying to score points.”
Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 13th:
“Unfortunately, I was forced into a spin during the jockeying for position at the start and was placed last after the first round, so we had to change strategy a bit and adapt to conditions. I was nevertheless able to pass a few cars in the remaining part of the race and was very satisfied with lap times in my C-Class.”
Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 14th:
“That wasn’t an easy race for me. I got into a lot of scraps and made many attempts at overtaking on the first few laps. Oliver Jarvis collided with my C-Class just as he was exiting the pit lane. My car was damaged and proved difficult to drive afterwards, which probably prevented me from finishing higher up the field.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 15th:
“Of course, I’m not at all satisfied with 15th place. I hope that in future races, I can once again show the speed of my C-Class. The incident with Christian Vietoris was unfortunate – I think I just got a little too close to him.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 17th:
“I’d like to thank my team for delivering such a powerful C-Class for me to drive today. Sadly, I had an unfortunate collision right at the start of the race and then lost a lot of time on an unscheduled pit stop. From last in the field, it was difficult to make progress and get into a points-scoring position. I hope that things go better for me next time.”
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) – retired:
“It’s a pity that I had to retire early. I had a scrap with David, each of us seeing an opportunity. I braked a bit too late perhaps and made contact with him. It was a fair fight; we both wanted to maintain position. As fellow Mercedes drivers, we did everything we could, though, and gave no quarter, but it’s no big deal, in a close-run race, these things happen.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“The race result was decided by the grid positions from qualifying when the weather conditions kept changing. Bruno Spengler got the worst of it yesterday, but the main thing is finishing second in the race has increased his championship lead by a further four points. So from that aspect, he can claim to be one of the winners on the day.”
Bruno Spengler, driver of the Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class, beat out Renger van der Zande, driver of the Stern AMG Mercedes C-Class, in the semi-final round and emerged as the best of the Mercedes-Benz group. He then managed to finish runner-up in the first of two competitions held over the weekend as Audi driver Edoardo Mortara took top hornors.
For the first time ever, DTM racing was staged on a specially constructed circuit in a sports stadium. The 3,911 foot track has been laid out over an area of 18,000 square metres on top of 8,000 cubic metres of aggregate material in the arena of the Munich Olympic Stadium.
Race Mode: Saturday’s DTM proceedings began with two internal contests: Mercedes-Benz and Audi. The drivers were paired up for a series of eight three-lap stints. The eight fastest drivers from each marque then went through to the last sixteen. Qualification was based on times posted rather than the outcome of the individual bouts. Over the next three rounds (Last 16, Quarter-final and Semi-final), the fastest Audi driver and fastest Mercedes-Benz driver were identified. These two then battled it out in the final race over five laps, including a compulsory pit stop.
Prologue: Ralf Schumacher’s overall time 2:48.319 minutes was the fastest of all the Mercedes-Benz drivers. Bruno Spengler posted a fastest lap of 54.195 seconds. Because of a false start, however, he incurred a two-second penalty and ended the prologue in P5 behind David Coulthard. Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) was ninth fastest so just missed out on qualifying.
Eighth finals: Ralf Schumacher got through to the next round with a time of 2:47.908 in a three-lap stint ahead of Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class). Bruno Spengler won his duel with Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) by 0.355 seconds. Despite incurring a two-second penalty for jumping the lights, David Coulthard still prevailed against Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) to move into the last 16. Renger van der Zande won his knock-out encounter with Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) by 0.629 seconds.
Quarter finals: After completing four laps and a compulsory pit stop, Bruno Spengler prevailed over Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) with an overall time of 3.49:100 minutes to go through to the semi-final. Renger van der Zande won his race against David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) by 1.658 seconds and joins Spengler in the next round.
Semi finals: Bruno Spengler won his race over a distance of four laps – including one mandatory pit stop – with an overall time of 3:52.885 minutes, 23.9 seconds faster than fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class). Spengler now goes into the final which will decide who takes the Saturday honours.
Final: In a hard-fought encounter, Bruno Spengler finished runner-up behind Edoardo Mortara (Audi). In two stints over a distance of ten laps, including two pit stops, Spengler posted an overall time of 9:26.205 minutes and a fastest lap of 53.603 seconds. He emerges from the first day of this special DTM weekend as the best of the Mercedes-Benz contingent.
Comments on Saturday:
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class):
“What tremendous fun we had today. The final was really close – there were only thousandths of a second in it at the end. I gave it everything I’ve got, and for most of the race, we were neck and neck. I’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ to my team. They did a great job and the pit stops went very smoothly. Now I’m looking forward to the second day of this show event here in Munich.”
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class):
“We had a bit of a communication problem during our pit stop. It was my own fault and it cost me a lot of time. Even so, we showed that we are competitive here. I’m aiming to make up for this mistake on Sunday.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class):
“I think it’s great that the fans can experience DTM from so close up here. I’m familiar with this sort of event from the Race of Champions which I always enjoy immensely. Having said that, though, it is very difficult to drive on such a tight track. I’m looking forward to tomorrow but not making any forecasts.”
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class):
“I’m happy with my result today. Unfortunately, I didn’t progress beyond the quarter-final because I made too many errors. But at least I didn’t damage my C-Class. This show event is turning out to be great fun. I’m really looking forward to Sunday.”
Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class):
“I was doing OK, but then, on the last lap, I made a mistake. I glanced against one of the barriers with my front right wheel and lost control of the car. That cost me a lot of time. I’m feeling quite optimistic about Sunday, though. This show event in Munich is a lot of fun.”
Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class):
“It’s a pity I didn’t progress any further. David was given a two-second penalty for a false start, but unfortunately, I was unable to exploit the advantage. I like the circuit and I’m looking forward to Day Two here in Munich on Sunday.”
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class):
“Although I was eliminated, I think that my performance was reasonable. I was just three-tenths of a second behind Bruno who was very fast in the prologue. I’m feeling upbeat about the race on Sunday. It all depends on which Audi driver I’m drawn against. I’m aiming to put on a good show for the fans.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class):
“The atmosphere in the Olympic Stadium is fabulous. As Munich born and bred, I’m enjoying the experience here all the more. I’m finding the track layout quite demanding, especially as I only drove four laps in Friday’s free practice session. You get more confident with every lap you complete as you familiarise yourself with the braking points. That’s what I was missing today. ”
Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class):
“I’m disappointed to have been knocked out at this early stage. I was at a slight disadvantage going out onto the track before anyone else. The surface was extremely greasy, and I had severe oversteering on a couple of occasions. I didn’t want to take too many chances, as the barriers are very close to the track here.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“The idea of bringing DTM racing to the Munich Olympic Stadium turned out to be a big success. The fans have had a great day out. As I walked around the grandstand, people kept coming up to me and telling me what a fabulous event we’ve laid on here. I think that a lot of the spectators who turned up today are watching DTM live for the very first time, and this will have whetted their appetite for the sport. Thanks to the munich organizers, the ITR and the DMSB who have made this event possible. And congratulations to Edorado Mortara and Audi for the first DTM finale victory in a stadium. Tomorrow it will go on and it will be thrilling.”
Bruno Spengler, driver of a Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class, won the fifth race of the DTM season from pole position at the Norisring, ahead of Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class). This was Spengler’s ninth DTM win and his third at the Nuremberg street circuit, having previously won here in 2006 and 2007. For Mercedes-Benz, it is the 14th victory at this track. Spengler has now finished on the Norisring podium six years in a row. Since 2003, Mercedes-Benz has won all nine DTM races held at the Norisring.
Spengler’s second win in five races has put him back at the top of the drivers’ standings, which he had led for the first three rounds of the 2011 season.
In the direct comparison between the manufacturers, from a total of 195 races, Mercedes-Benz leads Audi by 107 victories to 58.
The race was stopped after 64 laps owing to extremely poor weather conditions. Four AMG Mercedes C-Class drivers finished in the Top 8, and six Mercedes-Benz drivers finished in the Top Ten. Jamie Green, winner of the last three races at the Norisring took second place to share the podium with Spengler. Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished sixth, while David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) secured a point in eighth position. Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class), Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home in positions nine to eleven. Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) was 13th, Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired during the first third of the race after a steering problem put him in the wall at turn three.
Across the race weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), a total of 124,000 spectators visited the Norisring DTM race.
Race summary
The start: The race begins behind the safety car owing to the wet conditions. Bruno Spengler starts from pole for the eleventh time in his DTM career. Gary Paffett runs P2, followed by Jamie Green in P3. Ralf Schumacher and Maro Engel are in P5 and P6.
Lap 5: The safety car comes in, and the racing begins.
Lap 6: Spengler defends his lead from Paffett. Green consolidates third place, Schumacher is fifth. Maro Engel loses sixth place to Timo Scheider (Audi).
Lap 9: David Coulthard overtakes Miguel Molina (Audi) and moves into ninth place.
Lap 11: Susie Stoddart moves up a position into P14.
Lap 14: Spengler maintains his lead over Paffett and Green. Schumacher runs fifth.
Lap 15: Gary Paffett crashes into the wall at turn three after a steering problem and retires.
Lap 21: The pit stop window opens. Spengler leads the race. He’s 3.6 seconds ahead of Green in P2.
Lap 28: Seven C-Class drivers run in the top 10 – Spengler, Green, Schumacher, Engel, Coulthard, Christian Vietoris and Renger van der Zande.
Lap 32: Vietoris is the first Mercedes-Benz driver to make his mandatory pit stop.
Lap 35: Coulthard in P8 comes in for his first pit stop.
Lap 38: First pit stop for Engel. He emerges in twelfth place.
Lap 43: Rain begins falling again. Spengler continues to lead from Green.
Lap 45: Leader Spengler comes in for his first mandatory pit stop. Stoddart also pits for fresh tyres.
Lap 47: Schumacher makes his first pit stop. He emerges in fifth place.
Lap 48: Green heads for the pits. After his first pit stop, he emerges in second place behind Spengler.
Lap 52 : Engel and Stoddart pit for the second time for fresh tyres.
Lap 54: Lead driver Spengler completes his second pit stop. Vietoris also pits for a second time for fresh tyres.
Lap 56: Green remains in P2 behind Spengler after his second pit stop.
Lap 58: The safety car comes back out owing to heavy rain. Schumacher pits for the second time for fresh tyres.
Finish (Lap 64): The race comes to an early end. Spengler secures his second win of the season. Green comes home in second place, Schumacher is sixth. Coulthard climbs from P13 on the grid to finish P8. Engel and van der Zande complete the Top Ten.
Comments after the race:
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) – Winner:
“That was one of the most difficult races of my career. Even with the safety car out on track, there was still a lot of aquaplaning. The stewards took the right decision to red flag the race. We had a great strategy and my car was superb today: a big thank you to my team for their work. My second win of the season has put me back in the championship lead. That’s a great feeling.”
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Second:
“Today was a very difficult race because of the rain. Unfortunately, a fourth win at the Norisring wasn’t possible, but I’m happy with second place. I’m getting to grips with my car better race by race. That’s good for me, for Mercedes-Benz and for the championship.”
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Sixth:
“I’m quite happy with my sixth place. This is a decent result. I’m really happy that the stewards stopped the race. Otherwise, it could have ended in chaos.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Eighth:
“I’m very happy to have scored my first point of the season. The decision to call off the race was the right one, because we just couldn’t see anything out on track.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Ninth:
“I’m a bit disappointed, because I feel that I could have achieved more starting from sixth. After all, we were quick throughout the weekend. Also, I once again had contact with Edoardo Mortara.”
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Tenth:
“I’m not too displeased with tenth place. It’s always difficult when you start in the middle of the field behind the safety car. My pace was pretty good today – hopefully I can continue this form in the coming races. I overtook four cars today.” Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Eleventh:
“Conditions today were very chaotic and it was a good thing the race was stopped early. I was stuck in traffic for much of the race and could hardly see a thingbecause of the rain. I’m glad that I was able to finish the race. I didn’t even realise that I crossed the line in eleventh place.”
Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 13th:
“The decision to stop the race was absolutely right, because the rain had made the track undriveable. While it was still reasonably dry out there, I had been making good progress. I had held my position and my car was going well at that stage.”
Gary Paffett (AMG Mercedes C THOMAS SABO-Class) – retired:
“At turn three, I turned the steering wheel as usual, but the car didn’t respond – I didn’t make the turn and continued straight on into the wall. It’s too bad because, starting from second place, we could have had a good result today.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“Today is 3rd July, so it couldn’t be more appropriate for Bruno Spengler to secure his third victory at the Norisring. We’re leading the championship again and have taken our ninth win in a row here in Nuremberg… it’s fantastic. Jamie Green’s second place only makes our success more complete. Thanks to everyone on the team for a great job. After a one-two in qualifying yesterday, we’ve achieved a one-two in the race as well, and the HWA mechanics also managed the two fastest pit stops today. It was a shame to see Gary retire – we must investigate what happened to the steering before his accident. We’re now all looking forward to seeing the DTM in Munich, for what is sure to be a unique event.”
Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class Driver, Bruno Spengler finished in third and was the top-placed Mercedes-Benz driver at the fourth race of the DTM season, held at the Lausitzring circuit. After securing victory at the season opener at Hockenheim and second place in Zandvoort, it’s the third podium finish of the season for the Canadian driver.
Five AMG Mercedes C-Class drivers finished in the Top Ten: After 52 laps, Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home in fourth place behind Spengler. Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class), Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished in positions six, nine and ten. DTM rookie Vietoris’ ninth place was his best ever DTM result.
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) improved on his starting position of 17th to finish twelfth. David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) came 13th and 14th respectively. Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) was unable to start because of a technical problem.
Across the race weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), a total of 63,000 spectators visited the Lausitzring circuit to watch the DTM race.
Race summary
The start: Bruno Spengler is on pole for the tenth time in his DTM career, and defends his lead. Jamie Green runs in second place, Gary Paffett moves up one place and ends the first lap in fourth. Maro Engel moves up four places to P12. Susie Stoddart had technical problems before the start and is not competing.
Lap 2: Martin Tomczyk (Audi) overtakes Green in the battle for second place. Spengler maintains his lead of 2.4 seconds.
Lap 8: Three Mercedes-Benz drivers in the top 4: Spengler still leads from Tomczyk, with Green and Gary Paffett behind them in P3 and P4.
Lap 10: David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher move up after overtaking Edoardo Mortara (Audi) and go into P13 and P14 respectively.
Lap 13 : The pit stop window is open and Paffett is the first Mercedes-Benz driver to come into the pit lane. Christian Vietoris also pits for fresh tyres.
Lap 14: Coulthard pits for his first mandatory stop.
Lap 15: Spengler comes in for his first mandatory stop in the lead. He goes back out in tenth place. Jamie Green pulls into the pits, emerging ahead of Paffett.
Lap 22: Ralf Schumacher in third place comes in for his first pit stop. Spengler, Paffett and Green are in P3, 4 and 5.
Lap 26: Maro Engel is the first Mercedes-Benz driver to complete his second mandatory pit stop. Vietoris also comes in for his second stop.
Lap 27: Renger van der Zande pits for the second time.
Lap 30: Second mandatory pit stop for Paffett. He reemerges in P6.
Lap 32: Spengler pits for a second time and emerges in fifth place.
Lap 33: Second and final pit stop for Schumacher.
Lap 42: Green overtakes Miguel Molina (Audi) and moves up into fifth place.
Final lap (Lap 52): After 52 laps and a total distance of 180.856 km, Bruno Spengler is the best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver, taking the third podium spot. Gary Paffett is fourth and Jamie Green secures sixth place. Christian Vietoris and Maro Engel complete the Top 10.
Comments after the race:
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) – Third:
“You can’t really be disappointed if you get onto the podium in such a hotly contested racing series as DTM – especially when it’s such a close race as we’ve had here at the Lausitzring. Martin Tomczyk put in a magnificent performance today to take a well deserved victory. At the same time, though, we’ve banked six valuable championship points. We’re intending to hit back in the next race at the Norisring, and I’m already looking forward to that.”
Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Fourth:
“I’m relatively happy with my result. Thanks to making a good start, I moved up one position, moving into fourth place. After a great pit stop, I was even able to pass Jamie. Throughout the race, my speed was a match for Bruno’s, who finished on the podium.”
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Sixth:
“After my second place in qualifying, I’m not pleased with sixth place. I lacked the necessary pace in the race. I also had some bad luck as a result of pit stops, dropping a couple of positions.”
Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Ninth:
“Ninth place is a good result for me. However, I am a little disappointed, because my first DTM point was within reach. Unfortunately, I dropped down a few places on the first lap, but managed to move back up during the race. We are on the right track.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Tenth:
“Tenth place, after starting in 16th position is not too bad a result. Unfortunately, the weekend didn’t run entirely smoothly for us, and we couldn’t find our usual speed – in the next race at the Norisring, we want to regain our form from earlier this season.”
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Twelfth:
“I’m not happy with twelfth, but at least the race itself went better than the rest of the weekend. The second stint was really fun and my C-Class ran really well. I lost a little time on the first stint perhaps, but not much more was possible today.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 13th:
“Unfortunately, I had problems with the car’s balance and couldn’t find my rhythm in the race. It was impossible for me to do better than P13. It was just not meant to be today.”
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 14th:
“I lost several positions right at the start. I got the impression that I was nudged by several other cars. I was short on speed during the race, but I’m also taking a few positives from it, namely that I’ve put in a fair few kilometres today and gained more DTM experience. I think I’ve familiarised myself with the car now and feel sure that I’ll soon be scoring better results.”
Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) – retired:
“Today was just bad luck. My C-Class was running great this weekend, and we were really fast. Unfortunately, I started losing brake fluid. My mechanics did everything they could, but they weren’t finished in time for the start. That’s part of racing, so now I’ll just have to focus on the next race at the Norisring.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. After five successive victories and nine P1 finishes in eleven races at the Lausitzring, we didn’t have the speed to win today. Our race setup certainly wasn’t optimum today. We intend to correct that in time for the Norisring in two weeks. Congratulations to Martin Tomczyk and Phoenix-Audi on an excellent performance.”
The third race of the 2011 season sees the DTM make a welcome return to Austria after an eight-year absence. The DTM raced in Spielberg three times between 2001 and 2003. All three races were won by a Mercedes-Benz driver: in 2001, the victory went to DTM record breaker Bernd Schneider; in 2002 and 2003, the win went to Marcel Fässler.
The circuit at Spielberg was officially re-opened as Red Bull Ring in April 2011 and represents a combination of the most sophisticated standards and a legendary racetrack.
Currently, Bruno Spengler, driver of the Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class, leads the championship with 18 points after the first two races of the season.
Comments on the third race of the 2011 DTM season:
Bruno Spengler (27, Canada, Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class):
“One win and a second-place finish in the first two races – no matter which way you look at it, it’s been a good start to the season. Obviously, I would have preferred to win in Zandvoort, but the most important thing is that we were genuine contenders there. This is a good omen for the upcoming races and for the title chase. I’m looking forward to driving my C-class at Spielberg on a track that I know well from the past. I’m convinced that we’re going to have a lot of fun driving on this circuit and – who knows – maybe I can take another win here like I managed in the past. In any case, I’ll be giving it everything I’ve got.”
Ralf Schumacher (35, Germany, Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class):
“I live with my family in Salzburg, so the DTM race in Austria is like a home race for me. Spielberg is a really beautiful circuit that is in perfect harmony with the wonderful Styrian landscape. It has now been updated as a modern and safe track with generous run-off areas, and the pit complex has been completely rebuilt. The layout offers some good overtaking opportunities, so we can expect some wheel-to-wheel battles and overtaking, especially through the first few corners.”
Gary Paffett (30, England, THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class):
“I have good memories of Spielberg from Formula 3 and from DTM. In 2003, which was my DTM debut season, I drove my best race of the year in Austria and finished in sixth place with a year-old car. That was a great result at the time. Spielberg is a track I really enjoy driving: the circuit is very close to the mountains and features lots of elevation changes. It also has a good mix of fast and slow corners, and the tight hairpins should offer overtaking opportunities. After a difficult start to the season, I would like to build on my good results from previous years and get on the podium for the first time this season – hopefully on the top step.”
David Coulthard (40, Scotland, Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class):
“I’m very familiar with Spielberg from my time in Formula One. I competed in all seven Grands Prix there between 1997 and 2003, and I won the race in 2001 with McLaren-Mercedes. Because of my connections to Red Bull and the Wings for Life charity, the DTM race at the Red Bull ring is a sort of home race for me, which I’m really excited about. The test day on Thursday before the race is my chance to get the setup of my C-Class right for the track conditions, so that I can achieve the best possible result.”
Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Norbert Haug:
“It’s wonderful to see this circuit available for use again and to have it back on the DTM calendar. Following the renovation work, the whole venue is much improved, so the Red Bull Ring is certain to make its return to racing in front of a packed house. The races are more competitive in the 2011 DTM season, and the entire field is closer together than ever before. In the curtain-raiser at Hockenheim, the fastest laps posted by 17 of the 18 starters were within one second of each other – you won’t find that in any other racing series in the world, and it will be an equally close contest at the Red Bull Ring. We want to finish the first race at this modernised circuit in the same way that we finished the last DTM race staged at Spielberg in 2003 – with a win.”
Bruno Spengler, Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class Driver, crossed the finish line in the second race of the DTM season at Zandvoort as best-performing Mercedes-Benz driver in second place and 1.4 seconds behind winner Mike Rockenfeller from Audi. This was the second podium of the 2011 season for Spengler after his victory in the opening race and the 24th of his DTM career.
Joining Spengler in the points today were Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) who finished fourth and seventh respectively. Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) came ninth, while Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class), Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) took positions eleven to thirteen.
Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) completed his second DTM race in P15 while David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) came 16th.
Across the race weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), a total of 29,000 spectators visited Zandvoort to watch the DTM season opener.
Race summary
The start: Bruno Spengler starts from pole position for the ninth time in his DTM career and successfully defends his lead. At the end of the first lap, Jamie Green, Gary Paffett and Ralf Schumacher are running third, sixth and seventh respectively.
Lap 5: Spengler has a lead of 0.7 seconds over Mike Rockenfeller (Audi). Renger van der Zande and Maro Engel, who started from eleventh and 13th on the grid, have moved up the field to ninth and tenth.
Lap 10: Spengler now leads Rockenfeller by 1.3 seconds and Green by 2.1 seconds.
Lap 11: The pit stop window opens (Lap 11 to Lap 31). David Coulthard and Susie Stoddart are the first Mercedes-Benz drivers to pit. Stoddart overtakes Coulthard as a result of the stop.
Lap 13 : Spengler makes his first pit stop as race leader, re-emerging in second place. Meanwhile Green turns into the pit lane.
Lap 14: Paffett and Schumacher enter the pit lane together. In a tight race between crews, Paffett manages to retain the lead over his team-mate.
Lap 18: Mattias Ekström (Audi) is the only driver not yet to have taken his compulsory pit stop and now leads the race. He is pursued by Rockenfeller, Spengler and Green in positions two to four.
Lap 20: Paffett and Stoddart pit for the second time.
Lap 21: Second pit stop for Schumacher and Vietoris. When Schumacher comes back onto the track, he is still behind Paffett.
Lap 22: Spengler and Green enter and leave the pit lane together, retaining their second and third positions.
Lap 23: Coulthard given drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
Lap 26: It starts to drizzle. Second pit stop for Engel who emerges in eighth position ahead of Paffett and Schumacher.
Lap 30: After completing the second of his two compulsory pit stops, Rockenfeller holds a 2.2 second lead over Spengler and Green. Engel is back in seventh, followed by Paffett and Schumacher in eighth and ninth.
Lap 34: In a battle for third place, Martin Tomczyk (Audi) prevails over Jamie Green who briefly runs off track.
Final lap: After 41 laps (total distance: 176.58 km), Bruno Spengler is the best of the Mercedes-Benz drivers, crossing the line in second position. Jamie Green takes fourth place while Maro Engel collects two championship points for finishing seventh.
Comments after the race:
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) – Second:
“Today just wasn’t our day. The race started well. I got off the line all right and my pace in the first stint was fast enough. I managed to shake Mike Rockenfeller off, but then at the first pit stop, there was a bit of confusion on the radio about whether I should come in or not, and that’s when Mike got past me. But hey, that’s motor racing. Even so, second is still a good result.”
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Fourth:
“I’m a bit disappointed because my AMG Mercedes C-Class has been consistently fast all weekend. In the end, I had to settle for fourth, but at least I’ll be taking a few points away with me. It’s a step in the right direction
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Seventh:
“I have to say a big thank you to the team. Both the car and the strategy were fantastic today. That meant we were able to move up from 13th to seventh. Not bad considering this is a track where overtaking is virtually impossible”
Gary Paffett (AMG Mercedes C THOMAS SABO-Class) – Ninth:
“I am very disappointed because from P5 I was hoping to be in the points. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the speed today. I kept on pushing, but still couldn’t defend my position.”
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Eleventh:
“We had balance problems unfortunately – I slid around a lot and just couldn’t find any grip. We now need to look into why before the next race. My first pit stop was a close-run thing, but fortunately it went well. What ‘s important is that Bruno took valuable championship points.”
Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Twelfth:
“It was a good race from my point of view. Our strategy was sound and I got away well. In the end, it was a tight situation with Ralf. I tried to pass him but it didn’t work out.”
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 13th:
“I’m delighted with all the support I received from my fans today. There were lots of flags and baseball caps with my name on. I’m satisfied with my result. I had a minor bump at the start of the race, but fortunately it didn’t damage the car.”
Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 15th:
“Zandvoort is a track where overtaking is practically impossible – the race proved that. That makes qualifying doubly important. Unfortunately for me, starting from 17th place, I was totally out of contention. Anyway: My two pit stops were great – so many thanks to the guys!”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 16th:
“After a disappointing qualifying, I started from way back on the grid and immediately lost two positions. Also, the drive-through penalty cost me valuable time. The weekend didn’t exactly go to plan, but at least I have the opportunity to make up for it in two weeks’ time at Spielberg.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“Congratulations to Audi and to Mike Rockenfeller on his first DTM victory which was well deserved. Bruno’s car was having radio problems throughout the race, so he didn’t hear the call from the team in time for his first pit stop. If he’d stopped one lap earlier, he would have kept the lead, though we might have lost this on the second stop anyway. All in all, our race speed wasn’t quite up to the level we showed in qualifying. After a run of ten victories in the last 13 races, Bruno’s second place is still quite acceptable. We’ll try to make it better again at Spielberg.”
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) will start the first race of the 2011 DTM season in Hockenheim on Sunday from pole position. (Start: 13:00 BST, broadcast live on ARD TV commencing at 12:45 BST). Bruno set a time of 1:34.270 on the final lap of single-lap qualifying. This is his eighth DTM pole and his second at Hockenheim since the start of the 2007 season. For the 106th time in DTM, a Mercedes-Benz driver is on pole position.
In the first single-lap qualifying of the season Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class), set a time of 1:34.577, which placed him third, and he will start from the second row of the grid.
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) qualified seventh for the season opener in 1:34.386. DTM rookie Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) will start ninth with a time of 1:34.445 in his first DTM qualifying session. His time during the second part of qualifying was just two tenths slower than eighth-placed Maro Engel.
Qualifying, part 1: the first part of qualifying was suspended after seven minutes following a spin by Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class). The winner of the 2010 DTM season opener was unable to continue with qualifying and will start from 18th position on the grid. All the remaining drivers progressed automatically to the second qualifying segment.
Qualifying, part 2: Ralf Schumacher was best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver in P4 in a time of 1:34.220 minutes. The two newcomers to DTM, Christian Vietoris and Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class, 1:34.475 minutes), finished their first DTM qualifying in P9 and P11 respectively. David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home in 13th place in a time of 1:34.698 minutes. Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) was 14th in 1:34.720 minutes, and Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished in 16th position with a time of 1:34.778 minutes.
Quotes about qualifying:
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) pole position (1:34.270):
“Pole position is brilliant. After practice, I wouldn’t have thought it possible because I did so little running this morning. Pole is a great reward for the crew’s fabulous work. Let’s hope it continues for the race.
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) third (1:34.577):
“So far, this weekend has gone very well for me. I almost managed to get on the front row, but didn’t quite pull it off. The guys in the team have worked well. It was a long, hard winter but it appears to have paid off.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) seventh (1:34.386):
“The team did a great job, simply brilliant. Perhaps there was another tenth of a second to be had, but I’m very happy with P7. I can’t wait for the race.”
Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) ninth (1:34.445):
“Ninth position is a good way to start in DTM, but it’s a pity that I just missed going through to the third part of qualifying. I was only two tenths adrift. I’m very pleased with my first DTM qualifying.”
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) eleventh (1:34.475):
“On the whole, I’m very happy with my first DTM qualifying, although I think I could have done a bit better. Unfortunately, I made a mistake otherwise I could have made the top eight perhaps.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home in 13th place in a time of 1:34.698 minutes.
“All in all, I’m very satisfied. During qualifying, we improved the car’s balance, and I posted a reasonable time. It wasn’t possible to do much more today.”
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) 14th (1:34.720):
“This isn’t the grid position that I expected. Last year in qualifying, I was nowhere, but despite that I was in the top eight in the race. I’ve got the same goal for tomorrow.
Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) 16th (1:34.778):
“I was unlucky in qualifying. My hot lap was interrupted by another car in the final sector. I hope now I can have a good race from 16th place on the grid. Last year, in the second round at Hockenheim, I moved up from 17th to 7th.”
Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Cass) 18th (no lap time set):
“What happened in the first part of qualifying was a big disappointment for me. Unfortunately I selected the wrong gear and went off into the gravel trap. My THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class was running very well and I was going for pole. It’s a shame that I must now start from last position. I’ll do everything I can to fight my way up to the front.”
Nico Rosberg (MERCEDES GP PETRONAS) guest driver at Hockenheim.
“I feel very much at home – altogether, I’ve spent three years here with DTM and ADAC Junior Formula 3. Of course, I’m really pleased with the performance of my Mercedes DTM team-mates. A brilliant performance from Bruno with this pole position, and I’m particularly pleased for Ralf. He was wrongly criticized but Mercedes, Norbert and Ralf’s HWA-Team stuck by him and he stood by them. That’s our spirit, and that’s how we do it in Formula One too.”
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.
“What an incredible pole for Bruno. This morning, owing to the damage to his floor, he didn’t get a proper lap in; then this afternoon, he put the car on pole. For his part, Ralf produced a response where it matters most: on the track, with a strong lap. Our young drivers also performed well: Maro Engel will start seventh, with Christian Vietoris and Renger van der Zande ninth and eleventh.”
A new DTM season gets underway at the official launch event in Wiesbaden: there will be nine drivers racing for Mercedes-Benz in the ten races that count towards the championship, plus the new show event scheduled for the Olympic Stadium in Munich. The newcomers to this year’s Mercedes-Benz squad are Christian Vietoris (22, Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) from Germany and Renger van der Zande (25, stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) from the Netherlands.
During the 2010 season, 22-year-old Vietoris competed in GP2, the supporting series to Formula One. He had previously competed in the Formula 3 Euro Series for Mücke Motorsport in a Mercedes-Benz-powered Dallara car in 2008 and 2009, finishing as runner-up in his second season with four wins. 25-year-old van der Zande competed in the 2010 GP3 series (also a supporting race event on GP weekends), having contested before the German Formula 3 Championship, the Formula 3 Euro Series and the British Formula 3 Championship in MB-powered cars under the wing of the Mercedes-Benz young driver scheme between 2006 and 2009.
Lining up for the HWA team are: Gary Paffett (30, THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class), DTM Champion in 2005, DTM runner-up in 2004, 2009 and 2010, test driver for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula One team; Ralf Schumacher (35, Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class), the third-most successful German Formula One driver ever with six Grand Prix victories under his belt; Bruno Spengler (27, Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class), DTM runner-up in 2006 and 2007 as well as third-placed driver in 2010. Returning to the HWA team is Jamie Green (28, AMG Mercedes C-Class) from Leicester (England), Formula 3 Euro Series champion in 2004 and winner of the last three races at the Norisring in Nuremberg with the same car.
Vietoris and van der Zande will not be the only drivers racing a 2008-spec C-Class: they will be joined by Susie Stoddart (28, TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class), Maro Engel (25, GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) and David Coulthard (40, Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class).
The 2009 AMG Mercedes C-Class that will be raced by the four HWA drivers starts the forthcoming season with real pedigree, having scored eight victories in the eleven races of the 2010 season. Reigning DTM champion Paul Di Resta and runner-up Gary Paffett claimed three victories each. Third-placed Bruno Spengler contributed two more wins for Mercedes-Benz, with the ninth coming from Jamie Green driving for the Persson team in a 2008 AMG Mercedes C-Class at the Norisring – this marked the car’s third consecutive victory at the track.
The Mercedes-Benz DTM driver line-up for 2011
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Vehicle
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Starts
|
Points
|
Wins
|
|
Gary Paffett
|
2
|
THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class
|
70
|
304.5
|
17
|
|
Bruno Spengler
|
3
|
Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class
|
63
|
260
|
7
|
|
Ralf Schumacher
|
6
|
Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class
|
32
|
15
|
–
|
|
Jamie Green
|
7
|
AMG Mercedes C-Class
|
63
|
205.5
|
6
|
|
Susie Stoddart
|
10
|
TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class
|
52
|
4
|
–
|
|
Christian Vietoris
|
11
|
Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
Maro Engel
|
16
|
GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class
|
32
|
11
|
–
|
|
David Coulthard
|
17
|
Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class
|
11
|
1
|
–
|
|
Renger van der Zande
|
20
|
stern AMG Mercedes C-Class
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
Gary Paffett (30, England):
Gary Paffett: “The DTM season 2011 brings new challenges, especially those that come with the change of tyre supplier to Hankook. Our tests with the new tyres have been very promising, and I am fully motivated about the upcoming season with our new sponsorship partner THOMAS SABO. My objective this time round is to improve on last year’s result by one position.”
Bruno Spengler (27, Canada):
Bruno Spengler: “I’m really looking forward to my seventh DTM season with Mercedes-Benz. Over the winter, I spent almost a month at home in Canada recharging my batteries and getting ready for the new season. There is no guarantee of success, especially in such a fiercely competitive championship as DTM, but I will do my best again this year and make an aggressive contribution to the campaign.”
Ralf Schumacher (35, Germany):
Ralf Schumacher: “After three years in DTM and two seasons as a member of the HWA team, I feel comfortable driving the AMG Mercedes C-Class and am aiming to move up a gear in my fourth DTM season. I’m aiming for a marked improvement in performance this year, and maybe even a few podiums.”
Jamie Green (28, England):
Jamie Green: “It’s a great feeling to know that Mercedes-Benz have decided to reward my efforts in recent years – including those three victories in Nuremberg and my performance as best driver in a year-old car in 2009 and 2010 – by giving me a current AMG Mercedes C-Class. I’m aiming to repay the confidence they have shown in me by turning in some good results this year.”
Susie Stoddart (28, Scotland):
Susie Stoddart: “My first DTM points last season were long overdue. When you’re driving last year’s model, it’s by no means easy to finish among the points, but once again, I’ll be giving it everything I’ve got.”
Christian Vietoris (22, Germany):
Christian Vietoris: “DTM is one of the most prestigious racing series in the world. The switch from a single seater to a touring car is a huge challenge, but I feel I have adjusted quickly to the C-Class and settled in well with the team during the tests. I would like to continue along this learning curve and be successful in my debut season.”
Maro Engel (25, Germany):
Maro Engel: “Unfortunately, we didn’t meet our target last season. I’m determined to change that this time and get back to where I was in 2009. In that season, I showed that it was possible to achieve decent results, even with last year’s model.”
David Coulthard (40, Scotland):
David Coulthard: “My first DTM season was a learning year. My year of apprenticeship is over – now I’m looking to make some real progress. After scoring my first DTM point in the grand finale in Shanghai in 2010, I’m hoping to please my fans this season with more point-scoring finishes.”
Renger van der Zande (25, Netherlands):
Renger van der Zande: “Obtaining a DTM cockpit with Mercedes-Benz is a dream come true. I know that I face a big challenge, but I will be doing my very best to acclimatise myself to DTM racing and to master the stern AMG Mercedes C-Class in the fastest possible time.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“The 2010 DTM season was a highly successful one for our brand as well as for our teams. Securing nine wins in eleven races, the team championship and the top three positions in the drivers’ championship, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was quite literally in a class of its own. Current title holder Paul Di Resta has built on this success to make the step up to Formula One where he will still be driving a Mercedes engine for his new team, Force India.”
“The new season brings a new tyre partner for the DTM series by the name of Hankook, so I’m sure that the cards will be well and truly reshuffled as a result. From our perspective, we certainly don’t have any divine right to victory and, as ever, we will have to work hard to earn every good result. Everyone in our teams is full of enthusiasm for the challenge ahead.”
The start of the 2011 DTM season will mark the ninth DTM season that Bruno Spengler will line up on the track behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz AMG C-Class and his seventh season as a Mercedes DTM racer.
Mercedes-Benz and Bruno Spengler first worked together eight years ago when he was recruited into the Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Program for the 2003 Formula 3 Euroseries. A serious testing accident left him sidelined for the first six rounds of the year but, in just his second race back, Spengler took his Dallara Mercedes to a third-place podium finish at Le Mans. His combination of talent and fighting spirit set the mould for what was to follow, as he grew with Mercedes to become one of the stars of the DTM.
Following his series debut in 2005, Spengler graduated to the HWA works Mercedes-Benz team for 2006. His first win came that year at the Norisring, when he became one of the youngest winners in the championship’s history at just 22 years and 334 days old. Three more victories followed that year, on the way to a runner-up spot in the championship. He mounted another strong title challenge in 2007, taking one race win and again claiming second place in the championship. Further top-five finishes in the standings followed in 2008 and 2009.
Last season, a hard-fought title battle went right down to the wire, and Spengler was firmly in the hunt until the final race in Shanghai. The crown was ultimately claimed by his Mercedes-Benz team-mate Paul Di Resta, a fellow graduate of the Young Driver Programme, with Spengler finishing third overall. For 2011, Bruno will be aiming to add to his career total of seven DTM wins and mount another strong championship challenge.
Bruno Spengler: “I am delighted to be starting my seventh DTM season with Mercedes-Benz. During the winter, I spent nearly a month in Canada recharging my batteries and preparing for the new season. There’s never a guarantee of success in motorsport, especially in such a closely fought series as DTM, but I’ll be giving it everything I’ve got this year and, together with my team, we’ll be pushing all the way.”
Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “At 27 years old, Bruno Spengler is still a young driver – but he’s already a ‘veteran’ with Mercedes-Benz Motorsport in the very best sense of the word. Bruno gets better every year, and 2011 will mark our ninth year working together. We began back in 2003, when Bruno joined our Formula 3 Junior Programme but immediately suffered an extremely serious testing accident that could, at worst, have meant the end of his career. However, Bruno kept faith in us, and we in him, and that made the joy and satisfaction of his successes after his recovery all the sweeter. Today, he is one of the highest-profile and most successful DTM competitors, but also one of the nicest drivers in the field – and a favourite with the fans. There is still much that Mercedes-Benz Motorsport and Bruno want to achieve together, in order to celebrate a relationship that has now lasted nearly ten years.”
Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class) is the 2010 DTM champion. The Scotsman finished the 11th and final round of the 2010 DTM at Shanghai, China in second place and took the title with 71 points.
Gary Paffett (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) won the final race on a temporary street circuit in Shanghai’s district Pudong and ended the championship runner-up with 67 points. This victory was the ninth for Mercedes-Benz in 2010 out of the 11 races. Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class), overall leader before the race after eight podiums out of the previous 10 races, had started 17th on the grid after a qualifying accident and ended up 13th in the race and third in the championship with 66 points.
It is Paul Di Resta’s first DTM championship title after he had been runner-up in 2008. For Mercedes-Benz, it is the 10th drivers’ title since the brand entered the DTM as a works outfit in 1988: Before this year’s title win, Bernd Schneider took six championships, Klaus Ludwig two and Gary Paffett one.
Salzgitter/Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG with Spengler/Paffett are first in the team ranking already since Hockenheim six weeks ago; they have now 133 points.
Jamie Green (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished sixth. David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home eighth and scored his first championship point in the final race of his first DTM season. Ralf Schumacher (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class) ended up 10th ahead of Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class). CongFu Cheng (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished 15th ahead of Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class).
The race was red-flagged after 50 of 60 scheduled laps, after the track was blocked momentarily following a short coming-together of Susie Stoddart and Mike Rockenfeller (Audi).
Gary Paffett (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) winner: “It was a tough race and with my win I achieved everything possible. However, I had lost a few points during the season; otherwise the fight with Paul today would have been more exciting. Congratulations to him, he had a great season and deserves the championship.”
Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class) second and champion:”I am really happy about my DTM title win – a dream came true. I thank my entire team and everybody at Mercedes-Benz for this great season.”
Jamie Green (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) sixth: “Sixth place is ok, although third position was in reach. Unfortunately, I got stuck in traffic after my first pit stop so we decided to pit again early, but so I lost a few places. However, I am the best driver with a last year’s car, like I was in 2009, so I have reached my target for this year.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) eighth: “Yesterday, I was sixth and achieved my best qualifying result in the DTM, today I scored my first point and posted the fastest lap of the race. This is a nice end of my first DTM season. Unfortunately I lost a few places in traffic – an even better result would have been possible today.”
Ralf Schumacher (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class) 10th:”The circuit was a real challenge and the organizers did everything for the safety. It was a good decision to start behind the Safety Car. For this season, I had wished for more good results. My speed was always there, but if you start too far in the back of the field, it is not easy to show that.”
Susie Stoddart (TV-Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) 11th: “An uneventful race for me. Without yesterday’s crash and with a better grid position points would have been possible today. Well done to Paul on his championship win and thank you to my Persson team and Mercedes-Benz for the great support throughout this season.”
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) 13th: “I look back to a good season; however, in the last event I made a mistake in qualifying which almost decided the championship already before the race. I suffered from understeer today which was probably a consequence of my accidents on Friday and Saturday. Congratulations to Paul on his title win.”
CongFu Cheng (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) 15th:”Unfortunately, I made a mistake during my first pit stop and received a time penalty. Otherwise, a result between 10th and 12th positions would have been possible; my speed was not bad. I thank my team for a great first year in the DTM and congratulations to Paul on the title win.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) 16th: “It is like a little victory that I was able to start the race, following my accident on Friday. I thank my team for the great job fixing the car in time for the race.”
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:”A difficult final of a great 2010 DTM season with Paul as the deserved Champion and Gary as the Shanghai winner – for the second time after he had won also the so far only race here in 2004.
“This season, Paul did the best job of all – Bruno Spengler who arrived here as the overall leader would have deserved as well as Gary Paffett – but in the end Paul achieved the well-deserved title win.
“A cordial thank you for the first three places in the championship and nine wins out of 11 races to everybody in the HWA team under Gerhard Ungar, to the Mücke and the Persson team.
“I also want to thank all active and hardworking colleagues who are usually not on the front row – our specialists of organisation, media, marketing and controlling – and, of course, also the ladies in our office, who are always working at real “race speed” day-to-day and always precisely.
“There are no great victories without a great team, and we have a great team.”
Paul Di Resta, the 2010 DTM Champion
Paul Di Resta (24) is the 2010 DTM Champion. He won the title with second place in the season’s finale which had been staged at Shanghai for the first time. Paul thus overtook his team mate Bruno Spengler who had started the final race as the points leader. The race in China was Paul’s 42nd DTM race. He won six of them, started from pole position six times and posted seven fastest race laps.
Paul Di Resta is a cousin of former Mercedes-Benz DTM driver Dario Franchitti, who won the US IndyCar series for the third time and the Indy 500 for the second time in 2010. Paul began racing karts at the age of eight. In 2000, he won the McLaren Mercedes Champions of the Future kart series. Three years later, he took part in his first car race in the British Formula Renault. In 2004, he won the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award and became a Mercedes-Benz Junior.
Racing for English team Manor Motorsport, Paul Di Resta entered the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2005, finishing his debut year 10th overall after three pole positions and one podium place. In the following year, he won five races and clinched the championship ahead of the 2010 Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel.
In 2007, Paul moved up to DTM and finished his second race in the championship in second place – with a last year’s car. At the end of that year he was fifth overall. One year later, now racing a new model, Di Resta took his first DTM race win and finished the year runner-up. In 2009, Paul Di Resta was third overall in the DTM and also became test and reserve driver for Force India Mercedes in Formula One.
Like at Brands Hatch two weeks ago, Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class) won the 2010 DTM’s eighth round at Oschersleben; like two weeks ago, Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) finished second. After 50 laps (184.800 kms), Paul came home 1.271sec ahead of Bruno.
Mercedes-Benz achieved their 75th victory of the new DTM 117 races since 2000. It is the 159th DTM win out of 328 races for the brand since Mercedes-Benz entered the championship as a factory team in 1988 and the seventh out of eight races this season – the sixth in a row. Paul Di Resta took his fifth win in his 39th DTM race.
Bruno Spengler clinched his seventh podium finish out of eight races 2010, the 21st of his DTM career, and maintained the overall lead with 60 points. Paul is second with 53 points ahead of Gary with 44 points. Mattias Ekström (Audi) is fourth on 34 points. In the final three races. A driver can score a maximum of 30 points.
A first decision was made in the team ranking: Salzgitter/Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG with Spengler/Paffett lead with 104 points ahead of Laureus AMG Mercedes (Di Resta/Schumacher) with 56 points. Audi Sport is third on 42 points which means that the title can be won only by a Mercedes-Benz team, as a team cannot win more than 54 points in the three races still to come.
Gary Paffett (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) who had started 10th ended up a strong fourth despite a penalty. Jamie Green (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home seventh. Ralf Schumacher (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class) missed a points finish and ended up ninth ahead Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class). Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) and David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home 12th and 14th respectively.
CongFu Cheng (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired due to an accident on lap 2.
A total of 62,000 spectators attended the DTM race at Oschersleben during the weekend.
The start: For the third time this year, Paul Di Resta started from pole position whilst Bruno Spengler had qualified second. Paul accelerated in to an immediate lead followed by Bruno, whilst Gary Paffett improved from 10th on the grid to seventh. Maro Engel spun off at the second corner, but was able to continue at the back of the field.
Lap 2: CongFu Cheng retired after he had spun off and hit the tyre wall..
Lap 7: Gary Paffett overtook Martin Tomczyk (Audi) for sixth place.
Lap 8: Because of an alleged illegal move, race control asked Gary Paffett to change positions with Martin Tomczyk again.
Lap 11: Bruno Spengler (second) pitted for the first time. Ralf Schumacher (12th) followed one lap later.
Lap 13: First pit stop by Gary Paffett (fifth); he resumed behind Martin Tomczyk.
Lap 14: Susie Stoddart (seventh) pitted. David Coulthard (seventh) came in one lap later. Again, Gary Paffett passed Martin Tomczyk.
Lap 16: Maro Engel pitted from sixth place.
Lap 19: Jamie Green (fifth) completed his first stop.
Lap 20: Paul Di Resta (first) pitted, but lost more than three seconds due to a problem with the air lance. His stop lasted more than twice as long as usual and he rejoined the race immediately behind Bruno Spengler.
Lap 26: Second halt by leader Bruno Spengler. He lost time and thus dropped behind Timo Scheider. Jamie Green (fifth) pitted one lap later.
Lap 29: Maro Engel (seventh) and Susie Stoddart (eighth) came in for their respective second stops. David Coulthard (ninth) pitted one lap later.
Lap 32: Gary Paffett (third) and Ralf Schumacher (sixth) pitted again.
Lap 34: Bruno Spengler overtook Timo Scheider at the first corner. Paul Di Resta completed his second stop and maintained the lead ahead of Bruno.
Lap 35: All drivers had completed their two stops – Paul Di Resta held the lead ahead of Bruno Spengler, Gary Paffett was fourth and Jamie Green seventh.
Lap 44: Maro Engel overtook Oliver Jarvis (Audi).
Finish (lap 50): Paul Di Resta won ahead of Bruno Spengler; Gary Paffett came home fourth.
Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class) winner: “My second win within two weeks – fantastic. Thank you to my team – you gave me a perfect C-Class which I realised already in this morning’s warm-up. When I lost time during my first pit stop I felt my heart beat, but I managed to move up to the front again. Me first and Bruno second – if we continue like this, the championship battle will be really exciting. I am very confident.”
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) second: “Second place and eight points are a good result. I thank my team for a great job. During the last stint I was faster than Timo and I put a lot of pressure on him; the fight was over when he suffered from a puncture. As I had lost time behind him, Paul was able to move in front of me. I am now looking forward to the next race in Hockenheim.”
Gary Paffett (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) fouth: “I was much faster than Martin Tomczyk and I cannot understand what should have been wrong with my first overtaking manoeuvre. We tangled briefly, but this is normal in a race. At least I showed that overtaking is possible in Oschersleben.”
Jamie Green (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) seventh: “This circuit does not suit our car so much; therefore, seventh place and two points are not too bad. I hope for more in Hockenheim.”
Ralf Schumacher (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class) ninth: “To end up ninth from 15th on the grid is quite ok. Unfortunately, I missed a points finish, but this I ruined already in yesterday’s qualifying.”
Susie Stoddart (TV-Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) 10th: “My start was not so good but I was faster towards the end, so I am quite happy with my 10th-place finish.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) 12th: “After spinning on the opening lap I was able to catch up, but the drive-through penalty because of pit lane speeding ruined my race.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) 14th: “Another nice Sunday excursion. I tangled right after the start and afterwards, I struggled with my car’s balance. But I made more valuable experience.”
CongFu Cheng (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired due to an accident: “I was hit by another car, hit the tyre barrier and that was it.”
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “We almost tripped ourselves up today, when Paul’s first pit stop lasted twice as long as planned and Bruno dropped behind Timo Scheider due to a not ideal stop – the big advantage both had after 20 laps was suddenly gone. But Paul and Bruno fought back and achieved the 1-2 victory. Without his tyre problem, Timo Scheider would have had something to say about first place. I’m sorry for him; when you want 10 points and end up with zero, it hurts. Gary Paffett showed a great drive – without his penalty, which I don’t understand at all, third place instead of fourth would have been possible: strong, considering Gary started 10th on the grid.
“There will be no internal critics today after our not ideal stops: The guys – and the girls – all work so hard and do most of their jobs always right. We now look forward to Hockenheim and the DTM’s German finale. It would be very nice if we could manage a good star performance like today in our home race attended by thousands of Mercedes-Benz colleagues.”
Mercedes-Benz C-Class driver Gary Paffett won the 2010 DTM’s sixth round at Zandvoort after finishing third two weeks ago during the fifth round at Nürburgring. After 42 laps (112.4 miles), he came home 0.396sec ahead of Paul Di Resta. Overall leader Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class), coming off a win at Nürburgring,finished the race in seventh.
In the direct comparison with Audi in the years 1990 until 1992 and since 2000, Mercedes-Benz achieved the 101st win out of 185 races in this period of time. It is the 157th DTM win out of 326 races for the brand since Mercedes-Benz entered the championship as a factory team in 1988 and the fifth out of six races this season.
After five continuous podium finishes including two wins this year, Bruno missed the podium for the first time this season; however, he maintained the overall lead with 44 points. Gary is second overall with 35 points ahead of Paul with 33 points each. Salzgitter/Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG with Spengler/Paffett leads the team ranking with 79 points.
Ralf Schumacher (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home ninth ahead of Jamie Green (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class). David Coulthard (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class) ended up 12th, Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished 15th ahead of CongFu Cheng (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class).
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired on lap two due to a broken front right suspension.
A total of 39,000 spectators attended the DTM race at Zandvoort during the weekend.
The start: Gary Paffett (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) started second on the grid ahead of Paul Di Resta; Bruno Spengler had qualified seventh and Ralf Schumacher eighth. Whilst pole sitter Timo Scheider (Audi) stopped briefly, Gary took the lead followed by Paul; Bruno improved to sixth place.
Lap 2: Maro Engel pitted with a broken front right suspension and retired.
Lap 7: Ralf Schumacher made a mistake under braking into the Tarzanbocht and dropped to ninth behind Scheider.
Lap 11: Bruno Spengler (sixth) completed his first mandatory stop. Ralf Schumacher (eighth) followed one lap later.
Lap 14: Gary Paffett pitted from the lead, so did Paul Di Resta (1st) on the following lap.
Lap 16: Jamie Green (third) and David Coulthard (eighth) came in for their first stops.
Lap 17: CongFu Cheng (12th) completed his first stop. Susie Stoddart (ninth) pitted on lap 18. Bruno Spengler defended fifth position against Scheider who just exited the pits. Gary Paffett was in the lead ahead of Paul Di Resta.
Lap 23: Jamie Green (ninth) came in for his second routine halt. David Coulthard (11th) and Susie Stoddart (14th) followed one lap later.
Lap 25: Bruno Spengler (fourth) pitted.
Lap 27: Gary Paffett (leader) completed his second stop. Paul Di Resta (first) came in on lap 28, Ralf Schumacher (fourth) on lap 29 and CongFu Cheng (15th) on lap 30.
Lap 31: After the second round of pit stops, Gary Paffett held the lead with 1.6sec ahead of Paul Di Resta. Overall leader Bruno Spengler was the third C-Class driver in eighth place.
Lap 32: Bruno Spengler tried to pass Mike Rockenfeller (Audi); both cars tangled and Rockenfeller spun. Bruno was seventh.
Lap 37: Ralf Schumacher overtook Jamie Green and improved to ninth. One lap later, he challenged Martin Tomczyk (Audi) for eighth place.
Finish (lap 42): Gary Paffett clinched his second win of the year; Paul Di Resta ended up second and Bruno Spengler scored two points in seventh place.
Gary Paffett (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) winner:
“I just like this track. I got the maximum out of the car and driving here was great fun. I thank my team for a great job during the weekend. Like Bruno, I have won two races this year and I am ready to challenge him for the championship.”
Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class) second:
“A good race for me and for Mercedes-Benz. I came close to the lead, but could not manage to pass Gary. Well done to him on his race win. I scored eight points today and the fight for the championship is open again.”
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) seventh:
“A difficult race for me and our team. With all the Audis around me it was not easy to find the right strategy. Our guys did their best and in hindsight you always know better. We made the best out of the situation. Congratulations to the entire Mercedes-Benz team and to Gary and Paul on their 1-2 victory.”
Ralf Schumacher (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class) ninth:
“Unfortunately I made a mistake when I battled with Martin Tomczyk and drove briefly through the gravel; therefore I lsot eighth place. In the end I overtook Jamie and was almost able to take eighth place and one point.”
Jamie Green (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) 10th:
“My car’s performance in the race was better than in qualifying; however, I still lacked grip. In the end, I lost ninth place to Ralf. Now I look forward to my home race at Brands Hatch in two weeks where I want to do better again.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) 12th:
“For the first time I had quite a good start and improved by three positions. However, I struggled with oversteer throughout the race and therefore could not move up.”
Susie Stoddart (TV-Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) 15th:
“I did a very late first pit stop and after that I had many cars in front of me which had already pitted. So I had too much traffic and that was my race.”
CongFu Cheng (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) 16th:
“I had two lengthy pit stops due to a problem with a wheel nut. Therefore, I was not able to achieve a better result.
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired on lap 2 with a broken front right suspension:
“I had a slight coming-together during the start – we will have to analyse if this was the reason for the damage.”
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“Gary and Paul were a class of their own here. As the championship leader, Bruno lost a bit more ground than necessary after a lengthy pit stop, but being the old and the new overall leader he can get over it. We will go into the upcoming races focused and enthusiastically and with a trio of Bruno Spengler, Gary Paffett and Paul Di Resta on top of the leader board. Thank you to all the hard-working employees in our teams HWA headed by Gerhard Ungar, Persson with Ingmar Persson and Mücke with Peter Mücke – all of you did a great job.”
Bruno Spengler won the 2010 DTM’s fifth round at the Nürburgring. After 49 laps (177.821 kms), he came home 2.843 seconds ahead of Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class) while Gary Paffett ended up in third making it the third time Mercedes-Benz had a triple this season.
In direct comparison with Audi in the years 1990 until 1992 and since 2000, Mercedes-Benz achieved the 100th win out of 184 races in this period of time. It is the 156th DTM win for the brand since Mercedes-Benz entered the championship as a factory team in 1988, the 29th out of 58 DTM races at the Nürburgring since then and the fourth out of five races this season.
Jamie Green (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home fifth ahead of Ralf Schumacher (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class), who achieved his first DTM points of the year. Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished eighth; thus six Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars ended up in the top eight.
Achieving his second win of the year and his fifth continuous podium finish, Bruno extended the overall lead to now 42 points. Jamie is second overall with 26 points ahead of Gary and Paul with 25 points each. Salzgitter/Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG with Spengler/Paffett leads the team ranking with 67 points; this can be compared to the Constructors’ Championship in Formula One.
David Coulthard (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home 10th and CongFu Cheng (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished 12th. Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired at turn one after an incident with Markus Winkelhock (Audi).
A total of 86,000 spectators attended the DTM race at the Nürburgring during the weekend.
The start: Bruno Spengler, Jamie Green, Paul Di Resta, Gary Paffett and Ralf Schumacher started from positions two to six respectively. Bruno was fastest on the way to turn one and took the lead ahead of Jamie and Paul. Susie Stoddart had a coming together with Markus Winkelhock (Audi) and retired. At the end of the opening lap, Paul overtook Jamie and was second.
Lap 5: Triple lead for Mercedes-Benz: Bruno Spengler, Paul Di Resta and Jamie Green. Behind Timo Scheider (Audi) are Gary Paffett and Ralf Schumacher in positions five and six.
Lap 7: 3sec pit stop penalty for CongFu Cheng because he short-cut the chicane.
Lap 9: David Coulthard who had had a poor start overtook Martin Tomczyk (Audi) for 12th place.
Lap 12: Entering the Mercedes Arena, Gary Paffett overtook Timo Scheider and was fourth. Jamie Green (third) pitted for the first time. Ralf Schumacher (sixth) followed one lap later.
Lap 14: First pit stop by Gary Paffett (fourth).
Lap 16: CongFu Cheng (fifth) came in; first for his penalty and then for fuel and tyres.
Lap 18: Bruno Spengler pitted from the lead.
Lap 20: Paul Di Resta, now in first place, completed his first routine halt, and so did David Coulthard (fourth). One lap later, interim leader Maro Engel was the last driver to make his first stop. Bruno Spengler was now back in the lead, followed by Paul Di Resta and Gary Paffett.
Lap 26: Gary Paffett (third) pitted for the second time.
Lap 33: Second pit stop of Ralf Schumacher (fourth). CongFu Cheng (12th) followed one lap later.
Lap 35: Jamie Green (third) and David Coulthard (ninth) came in for their respective second stops. Bruno Spengler (first) and Paul Di Resta (second) pitted one lap later, and so did Maro Engel (fifth).
Lap 37: After the second round of pit stops, Bruno Spengler was still leading ahead of Paul Di Resta and Gary Paffett. Behind Timo Scheider, Jamie Green and Ralf Schumacher followed in positions five and six whilst Maro Engel was eighth.
Finish (lap 49): Bruno Spengler achieved his second win of the year; Paul Di Resta and Gary Paffett completed the Mercedes-Benz triple.
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) winner: “My start was mega. Afterwards, it was my target to move away as quickly as possible and that was what I did. However, it was quite difficult, as there were always a few drops of rain. I thank my team for their great job. We will now enjoy this moment, and tomorrow we will focus on the six races which are still ahead of us.
Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class) second: “An excellent race for Mercedes-Benz. After qualifying, we were in a strong position and we made the best out of it. I moved up a few places already on the opening lap, but I was not able to overtake Bruno. Congratulations to him on his victory.”
Gary Paffett (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) third: “A great race. I pushed throughout and we had a perfect strategy, so I improved from fifth on the grid to a podium finish.”
Jamie Green (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) fifth: “With my good start I immediately moved up to second; however, I made a few mistakes and Paul was able to go by. During my first pit stop I lost a few seconds and dropped back a little bit.”
Ralf Schumacher (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class) sixth: “I started well and avoided the incident at the first corner. In the end I was a bit faster than Jamie, but I didn’t want to take chances so I settled for my first points of the season. Now I am really happy.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) eighth: “It took a long time, but now I scored my first point of the year. The team worked great and my C-Class was perfect so I could overtake several drivers. Only with a better grid position it would have been possible to finish higher up the field.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) 10th: “I have to work on my starts. I am sorry for my team that I came off the line again so poor and thus ruined our race. Moreover, I was therefore also involved in that first-corner mayhem. Afterwards everything was fine, but I was too far behind to move up further.”
CongFu Cheng (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) 12th:“I had quite a solid race and the car ran great. I learned again and now I look forward to Zandvoort.”
Susie Stoddart (TV-Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) retired after a collision: “When I braked for turn one, the brakes felt really soft. Therefore, I unfortunately hit Markus Winkelhock. I’m sorry. ”
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “What an incredible one-two-three win, I didn’t expect it that way – great, how Bruno Spengler, Paul Di Resta and Gary Paffett excelled at the top. Jamie Green in fifth as well as Ralf Schumacher and Maro Engel in sixth and eighth positions, who scored their first points of the season, performed almost on the same level. Six Mercedes cars are in the points positions and our teams scored 32 out of 39 possible points today. Thank you to all at HWA with Gerhard Ungar and to our Partners Mücke and Persson; they all worked so hard to make this happen. This is good for us and our brand.”
Jamie Green (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) won the 2010 DTM’s fourth round at Nuremberg’s Norisring. After 82 laps (188.600 kms), he came home 0.591sec ahead of Mattias Ekström (Audi). It is Jamie’s third win at the Norisring in a row – all three of them he achieved with the same car which is a new record for the DTM.
Mercedes-Benz achieved the eighth continuous Nuremberg victory and the 13th at this circuit out of 30 races since 1988. It is the 155th DTM win for the brand since Mercedes-Benz entered the championship as a factory team in 1988.
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) ended up third whilst Gary Paffett (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished sixth.
Achieving his fourth continuous podium finish, Bruno maintained the overall lead with now 32 points. Jamie improved to second overall with 22 points ahead of Ekström with 21 and Gary with 19 points. Salzgitter/Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG with Spengler/Paffett leads the team ranking with 51 points; this can be compared to the Constructors’ Championship in Formula One.
Ralf Schumacher (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class) who had started from pole position for the first time in the DTM, received a drive-through penalty because of a jump-start and therefore ended up 11th despite posting the fastest lap of the race (48.616sec on lap 65). David Coulthard (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class) who lost the left door due to a collision without own fault came home 13th.
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished ninth ahead of Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class). CongFu Cheng (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) ended up 14th ahead of Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class).
A total of 132,000 spectators attended the DTM race at the Norisring during the weekend.
The start:For the first time in the DTM, Ralf Schumacher started from pole position, followed by Bruno Spengler and Jamie Green. Ralf led the field to the Grundig hairpin followed by Jamie and Bruno. Paul Di Resta was pushed into a spin by Alexandre Prémat at the Esses and dropped to the back of the field.
Lap 5: Drive-through penalty for Ralf Schumacher because of a jump-start.
Lap 7:Ralf Schumacher drove through the pit lane whilst Jamie Green took the lead ahead of Bruno Spengler. Ralf dropped to 18th and last position.
Lap 15:David Coulthard passed Markus Winkelhock at the Grundig hairpin. When Martin Tomczyk overtook David at the Dutzendteich corner, Winkelhock crashed into David’s left door which he lost shortly afterwards.
Lap 21:Gary Paffett (fifth) came in for his first pit stop, followed by Paul Di Resta (11th) one lap later.
Lap 25: Bruno Spengler (second) pitted for the first time.
Lap 29: Susie Stoddart (ninth) completed her first routine halt.
Lap 35:Pit stops by Maro Engel (fourth) and CongFu Cheng (ninth). David Coulthard (fifth) followed two laps later.
Lap 42:Jamie Green pitted from the lead. One lap later, Ralf Schumacher (fourth) was the last C-Class driver to make his first stop.
Lap 48:Maro Engel (eighth) completed his second stop. Paul Di Resta (tenth) followed one lap later and Susie Stoddart (12th) another lap later.
Lap 52:CongFu Cheng (11th) pitted again.
Lap 53:Bruno Spengler (third) made his second mandatory stop; David Coulthard (eighth) followed one lap later.
Lap 55:Gary Paffett (fifth) came in for his second stop.
Lap 57:Jamie Green pitted from the lead and maintained the top spot ahead of Mattias Ekström. Ralf Schumacher (second) came in for his second stop one lap later.
Lap 59:After the second round of pit stops, Jamie Green held a lead of 2 sec ahead of Mattias Ekström. Bruno Spengler was third ahead of Oliver Jarvis, Timo Scheider and Gary Paffett.
Finish (lap 82):Jamie Green won with half a second ahead of Mattias Ekström whilst Bruno Spengler came home third and Gary Paffett sixth.
Jamie Green (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) winner: “We cannot play football, but at least we can win races. However, it was tough. Mattias Ekström was pushing throughout and I had to stay totally focussed until the chequered flag. On this track it is so easy to make mistakes. Therefore, I am even happier to achieve this hat trick here at the Norsiring and my sixth DTM win in total. Thank you to everybody in our Persson team – their hard work made this win possible, and particularly the fastest pit stop of the race.”
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) third: “I am quite happy with third position. Of course, a better finish would have been nice but six championship points are ok. In the end, my C-Clas was faster and faster and with a few laps more I would have had a chance to challenge the leaders.”
Gary Paffett (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) sixth: “I struggled with understeer throughout the race; therefore I was not able to attack. I just lacked a bit of speed. At least I scored three points.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) ninth: “I am happy to finally experience a race without incidents again. So, ninth place is quite reasonable, but a points finish would have been better, of course.”
Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class) 10th:”My race was over on the opening lap when Prémat pushed me into a spin. I fought back to finish 10th but you don’t get points for this place.”
Ralf Schumacher (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class) 11th: “Today I gave away a possible race win. I am awfully sorry for my team that we were not able to show how strong our C-Class was here at the Norisring. Shortly before the start I was looking for the clutch’s bite point when the car made a brief move whilst the light was still red. My speed was very good which is also demonstrated by my fastest race lap. This weekend motivates us even more for the next race at the Nürburgring and for the rest of the season.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) 13th: “Despite losing the door early on when I was hit by another driver, I tried to race as fast as I could and in these circumstances I think my race was quite ok. I only struggled at the last sector which just doesn’t suit me. Anyway, I enjoyed the many fans and the fantastic atmosphere.”
CongFu Cheng (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) 14th:”The first half of my race was not bad but then I lost my pace. Therefore I was not able to push. This was my first DTM race on a temporary street circuit – a good foretaste of the season finale at Shanghai.”
Susie Stoddart (TV-Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) 15th: “As a consequence of a first-corner collision, my right door was damaged which caused significant vibrations. I was not able to improve and just tried to finish the race.”
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:”What a race! Jamie Green won at the Norisring for the third time in a row – and this with one and the same car. Congratulations to Jamie and the Persson team on this success. Such a hat trick has not happened in the DTM before. We are all happy about the eighth continuous Mercedes victory at the Norisring and tonight we will celebrate – and certainly not only a little bit.”
Mercedes-Benz DTM Team today realeased statements from Jamie Green, Bruno Spengler, Ralf Schumacher David Coulthard and Norbert Haug regarding the upcoming DTM Norisring Race.
Jamie Green, best-placed 2009-season car driver after three races of the 2010 DTM season, and winner of the last two DTM races at Norisring:
“I won the race at Norisring in 2008 and 2009 – driving one and the same car. The circuit looks quite straightforward, but it can be deceptive. The numerous undulations give the car problems and need great concentration on the part of the driver, especially when braking hard from around 260 km/h to less than 50 km/h before the hairpins.”
Bruno Spengler, DTM Vice-Champion in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, and leader in the overall ranking after three races of the 2010 season:
“I have won twice at Norisring – in 2006 and 2007. I like this course and its unique atmosphere, with many fans. I have started the season well with 26 points in three races and leadership in the overall ranking, and I want to continue this trend.”
Ralf Schumacher, starting in his third DTM race at Norisring:
“Norisring is one of my favourite tracks. Last year I achieved my best DTM result so far there. I am expecting an exciting race which will make heavy physical demands. The circuit layout looks simple, but it has its challenges and merciless duels are guaranteed. The frequently high, summery temperatures up to 60 degrees in the cockpit can also make things uncomfortably hot. The drivers need to be in first-class physical condition for the 82 laps, and I certainly am.”
David Coulthard, driving in his fourth DTM race at Norisring:
“Norisring is rightly known as the Monaco of the DTM. I already liked the track a great deal during my visit last year, with its impressive atmosphere and numerous enthusiastic spectators. The short cycles between acceleration, braking and steering into bends make extreme demands on the drivers and cars, passing the starting/finishing line after lap times of less than 50 seconds. With the bumpy surface, and walls and crash barriers very close to the track, it is necessary to drive very precisely. My aim at Norisring is to follow on from my good qualifying result at Lausitzring, and perhaps my first DTM top-ten result will be on the cards.”
Norbert Haug:
“Every race in the DTM calendar is a one-off – but Norisring is always the most unique each year.
The route right through the city of Nuremburg is only driven on once a year, on a single racing weekend, and as short and simple as it looks, it poses a unique challenge for the vehicles, drivers and teams. From 2003 to 2009 we have achieved seven victories in succession at Norisring.
The last two wins in 2008 and 2009 were achieved by Jamie Green with one and the same car, which is unprecedented and speaks for the quality of the driver, team and car – while confirming that even as a previous-season model, our C-Class is undoubtedly up-to-date.
Our teams and drivers are looking forward to the new round of challenges at Norisring in 2010, and we all know – although the statistics over the last few years say differently – that Mercedes-Benz by no means has an ongoing claim to victory in Nuremberg forever.
Nonetheless we will try to follow the seven previous victories with an eighth.”