Jamie Green, drive of a Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, finished the seventh race of the DTM Season at Zandvoort in fourth place and improved his position to second place championship standings The Zandvoort race was won by Edoardo Mortara fromAudi.

Overall championship leader Gary Paffett, driver of a THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, finished the race in seventh place after a tough race. He was in grid position eight for the start of the race and had reached fourth place when, at the start of lap 27, Martin Tomczyk (BMW) caused him to spin and drop back down to eleventh place. During the remaining 16 laps, championship leader Paffett again moved up the field four positions to finish seventh.

Paffett heads the DTM drivers’ championship, having secured 109 points, and has a 16-point lead on team-mate Green in second position with 93 points. THOMAS SABO / Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG lead the team standings with 133 points. Mercedes AMG are second on 101 points. Mercedes-Benz on 256 points holds the top spot in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) finished the seventh race at Zandvoort in tenth position. Roberto Mehri (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) came home in P11 and 12 respectively. David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé) and Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) did not finish.

Paffett posted a 1:34.054, the fastest time of the 43 laps. For the championship leader, this was the eighth fastest race lap in his DTM career and his second at Zandvoort. Since 1988, Mercedes-Benz drivers have secured a total of 166 fastest race laps, including six at Zandvoort and four this season.

The race at Zandvoort was the 350th DTM race for Mercedes-Benz. Since the first works entry in 1988, Mercedes-Benz drivers have achieved 168 victories, 111 pole positions and 166 fastest laps. With ten drivers’, thirteen team titles and nine manufacturers’ titles, Mercedes-Benz is the most successful manufacturer in DTM history.

A total of 37,000 spectators attended the DTM race weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) at Zandvoort, an increase of 27.5% on the previous year (2011: 29,000).

Race summary

The start: Gary Paffett moves up the field at the start from P8 to P5, Jamie Green sixth. The safety car is out after an accident on the first lap. Robert Wickens und Christian Vietoris retire after colliding. David Coulthard goes up from 22nd to P13.

Lap 4: The safety car turns off into the pits. Green overtakes Paffett on the re-start in a scrap for fifth place.

Lap 5: Green overtakes Filipe Albuquerque (Audi).

Lap 6: Timo Scheider (Audi) loses his bonnet on the start/finish straight. The safety car is back out on the track and leads the field into the pit lane to allow the track to be cleaned.

Lap 10 : After the second re-start: Green in fourth place, Paffett sixth.

Lap 11: The pit stop window is open. Paffett is the first C-Coupé driver to come in for a change of tyres.

Lap 12: First pit stop for Green.

Lap 13: Ralf Schumacher completes his first mandatory pit stop.

Lap 14: Paffett overtakes Mattias Ekström (Audi) in the battle for sixth place.

Lap 17: First pit stop for Coulthard.

Lap 20: After the first round of pit stops: Paffett in third place, Green seventh. Schumacher pits from tenth place to change tyres.

Lap 22: Second mandatory pit stop for Green.

Lap 23: Paffett in the lead comes in for second time. Coulthard retires in the pits.

Lap 26: Roberto Merhi completes second pit stop. It’s begun to drizzle with rain.

Lap 27: Paffett is put into a spin on turn one and drops down to P11.

Lap 28: Green overtakes Bruno Spengler (BMW) to move into fifth place.

Lap 29: Green overtakes Adrien Tambay (Audi) and moves into fourth place.

Lap 38: Paffett overtakes Dirk Werner (BMW) in the battle for ninth place.

Lap 39: Championship leader Paffett overtakes Augusto Farfus (BMW), moving into eighth place behind Schumacher.

Lap 40: Paffett moves up one position and is seventh.

Final lap (lap 43) : Jamie Green is fourth after 43 laps and a total distance of 185.201km. Gary Paffett finishes the 350th DTM race for Mercedes-Benz in seventh place.

Comments after the race:

Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Fourth:

“It was an eventful afternoon, which got better for me as rain began to fall during the race. Unfortunately, I was stuck in traffic after my two stops, otherwise I might have done more than fourth place. It’s time now to focus on the remaining races. We are in the top positions, P1 and 2, in the championship so Gary and I have a very good platform for the last three races of the season.”

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Seventh:

“Seventh place is not the outcome I had planned for this weekend at Zandvoort. I was extremely disappointed after the contact with Martin Tomczyk and the subsequent incident when I spun, but at least we did a little catching up in the closing stages to limit the damage. Finishing ahead of Jamie in the drivers’ standings was one of the weekend’s more positive aspects, as was our good race pace.”

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Tenth:

“The conditions were very difficult today. Anyone who avoided making a mistake in these conditions has done a great job. I was able to secure a point with tenth place, so I’m happy, even though I ended up losing a few places in the end.”

Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Eleventh:

“Sunday was a disappointment for me. I gave it my all over 43 laps, and it was a close call, but unfortunately, it was not enough in the end to secure my first points-scoring finish. Still, eleventh is my best DTM result so far. That really gives me a boost to make sure I am in the points for the first time in the next race at Oschersleben.”

Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Twelve:

“I started well and began to feel hopeful for a good race thanks to the changing weather conditions. The steering on my C-Coupé was damaged after contact with another car. I gave it my all right up to the very end of the race, but the damage prevented me from doing more.”

David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:

“Today’s race was certainly action-packed thanks to the conditions. Using my many years of racing experience, I moved up the field at the start into P13. I lost a few places at the re-start, sure, but was still optimistic. After contact with another car, an Audi rear-ended my C-Coupé, bringing my race to an end.”

Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), retired:

“Of course, I’m really disappointed with having to retire early, because a good result from grid position nine would have been possible, given the conditions. I got away well at the start, but the rear axle broke in the collision on turn three, and so my race was over all too soon.”

Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:

“I had intended doing a lot today, but my race was soon over, unfortunately. I don’t know exactly what happened. I had a good start, but was rear-ended on the third turn. The impact was so great that it broke one of the wheels.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:

“Gary was on course for a podium and faster than the drivers in front of him when he was pushed into a spin, which should never happen, of course, but it cost him points to the tune of double figures compared to his rivals.

His subsequent charge showed Gary’s class and his speed. He secured the best possible result under the worst of circumstances.

The same applies to Jamie. He had the speed to do more than fourth place but lost time in the pits.

After seven of ten races, Gary and Jamie are ranked first and second in the championship table, which is a good basis for the final three races of the season.

Congratulations on their victory and podium to Edoardo Mortara, Audi Sport and their teams.”

Drivers’ Championship: Top Three

Teams’ Championship: Top Three

Manufacturers’ Championship

Jamie Green, driver of a Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, and Ralf Schumacher took home a victory on Saturday in the first DTM Team Relay Competition. On Sunday, Green finished second, Gary Paffet, driver of the THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, finished third, both overtaken by Audi driver Mattias Ekström who finished first.

The weather played a major role on Sunday, with rain showers and a damp track adding significantly to the excitement of the race. In the quarter finals, a mere 90 thousandths of a second separated the Audi A5 DTM of Swedish driver Mattias Ekström and the BMW M3 DTM of reigning DTM champion, Martin Tomczyk from Germany. In the end, Tomczyk was defeated in front of his home crowd. In the semi-final, Ekström beat British Mercedes driver Paffett while Green made his way into the final with a tiny margin over Bruno Spengler (BMW). “A slight error cost me victory,” Spengler explained.

Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) finished in second place in the DTM individual competition at Munich’s Olympic Stadium. The Norisring winner lost out to Mattias Ekström (Audi) in the final two races, run over six laps each time. Two Mercedes-Benz drivers progressed through to the semi-finals – Green and championship leader Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé). Paffett was joint third with Bruno Spengler (BMW).

On the first day of racing on Saturday, Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), currently placed second in the championship, won the inaugural team competition. Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé) were third. Positions 1 and 3 were the best possible result in accordance with the regulations which state that no single manufacturer may finish in P1 and 2. A total of 45,000 spectators attended the DTM race in Munich on Saturday and Sunday.

The Format: After the team competition on Saturday, all 22 DTM drivers took part in the individual competition on Sunday. Championship leader Gary Paffett and the top three drivers from each manufacturer in the DTM drivers’ championship received a bye and did not race until the heat for the final sixteen (for Mercedes-Benz that was, apart from Paffett, Jamie Green, Christian Vietoris and David Coulthard). The preliminary heat and heats for the final sixteen were run over four laps. Starting with the quarter finals, the race distance was over six laps, which included a mandatory pit stop. The winner was determined in the final in two runs.

Preliminary Round: Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) won his race against Timo Scheider (Audi), who raced in the finals of the team competition on Saturday, one and a half seconds ahead. Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) won the next duel against Joey Hand (BMW) by three-tenths, but did not go through to the quarterfinals because of a subsequent one-second time penalty. Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) were eliminated in their respective races against Miguel Molina and Adrien Tambay (both Audi).

Round of 16: Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) beat Rahel Frey (Audi) in the first round by six seconds. In the second round, David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) got the jump on Molina with a 0.062-second lead. Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) won against Audi driver Filipe Albuquerque by 1.2 seconds. Robert Wickens and Christian Vietoris were eliminated in their races against Martin Tomczyk and Augusto Farfus (both BMW).

Quarter-finals: The quarter-final races took place on a wet track after intermittent showers of rain. Paffett beat his Mercedes-Benz team-mate Coulthard in the first round by just eight-tenths of a second. Green won his quarter-final heat against Mike Rockenfeller (Audi) three-tenths ahead.

Semi-finals: Paffett lost to Mattias Ekström (Audi) in the first of the semi-finals and so finished joint third with Bruno Spengler (BMW) in the individual standings. Green secured a place in the final in a thrilling duel against Spengler.

Final: Rain began to fall again before the start of the final. Green won the first of two runs against Mattias Ekström (Audi) by just under two seconds. In the second run, however, the Swedish driver beat Green to win the individual competition.

Comments on Sunday:

Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Second:

“Too bad that we didn’t achieve an outright win in the final, but I’m satisfied with second place and winning the team competition on Saturday. My first final run was good, but conditions were tough on the second run and I lost some time during the pit stop into the bargain. It was an exciting race, and the crowds braved the rain and cheered us in the stands – they deserve a special mention.”

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Third:

“Third place twice, in the team competition and then in the individual contest, plus the relay victory for Ralf and Jamie yesterday and Jamie’s second place today – yes, it was a very successful weekend for Mercedes-Benz in Munich. Of course, I would really have loved to have won, but the track on my side was slightly wetter than on Mattias Ekström’s. But still, I’ll be going into the summer break and the next race at the Nürburgring with a real sense of achievement. Even after the rain, the track afforded a surprising amount of grip and we had plenty of speed – it was a whole lot of fun!”

David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Quarter-finals:

“The track was very slippery and conditions difficult after the rain. Gary was faster in our race and won. I hope the fans in the stands had a lot of fun, despite the bad weather. Well, anyway, I enjoyed myself in the cockpit.”

Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), Round of 16:

“I felt very much at ease on the circuit in the Olympic Stadium. I proved that on Saturday by securing third place in the team competition with Gary. I got away to a good start again today, but unfortunately, didn’t manage to finish ahead on my track, since it was probably a little slower compared to the other.”

Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Round of 16:

“It’s nice to have got this far, but unfortunately, the competition is now over for me. Martin Tomczyk had fresh tyres and mine were used, which made the difference. Overall, it’s been a very successful weekend for Mercedes-Benz, and that should give us some extra motivation for the second half of the season.”

Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Preliminary Round:

“I’m a bit disappointed because I had planned to do more on this second day. The start is run over such a short distance and is particularly important, given that the field is so evenly matched. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be my day. Now I’ll be focusing on the forthcoming race at the Nürburgring.”

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Preliminary Round:

“Too bad, after winning the team event along with Jamie, I was hoping for more today in the individual competition. Unfortunately, my side of the track was still a little damp and I had the disadvantage of having run out of fresh tyres, because I was in the finals yesterday. Nevertheless, I’ve had a lot of fun this weekend racing here at the Munich Olympic Stadium and after Saturday’s successful outcome, I’m looking forward even more to the next race at the Nürburgring.”

Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Preliminary Round:

“Unfortunately, I exited the individual competition after the first round. Although I would obviously have liked to have progressed further, I took the opportunity to enjoy the competition along with the fans in the Munich Olympic Stadium, and cheered on my team-mates. It was a very successful event as far as being a mere spectator goes.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:

“A very successful weekend for Mercedes-Benz with the best possible result, first and third in the Manufacturers’ competition on Saturday and second and third place for Jamie Green and Gary Paffett in the Drivers’ competition on Sunday.

Two of the four drivers in the semi-finals were Mercedes drivers and a win was definitely in the offing, since Jamie Green was the clear leader in the final with the fastest laps on both tracks and the best pit stops – the die was cast, however, when Jamie was slowed down by a stalled engine when coming back out after his second pit stop. So, congratulations to Mattias Ekström and Audi on a well-deserved victory in the final.

The DTM race at the Munich Olympic Stadium will also be remembered for a terrific crowd who stuck it out in today’s rain and had plenty of fun and saw lots of thrilling action. Coverage by television, radio, print and electronic media has been very comprehensive and positive, which shows that the DTM in the stadium is well accepted.

Many thanks to all the teams, of all the competitors who made this possible, to the ITR, the DMSB and partners of the Olympic Park. This great event is the result of their joint, cooperative efforts.”

After winning the DTM season opener last week, Gary Paffett, driver of the THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, managed to get on the podium again at the Lausitzring. Paffett came in a second behind Bruno Spengler of BMW who won the race in a time of 1:09:45.795. After the first two races of the season, Paffett leads the drivers’ standings with 43 points over Jamie Green, driver of the Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, who has 30 points. Team THOMAS SABO / Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG lead the team standings with Mercedes AMG in second place with 37 points. Mercedes-Benz also leads in the DTM manufacturer championship with 96 points to BMW’s 54 points and Audi’s 52 points.

Jamie Green, 2nd in the opening race of the season Hockenheim a week ago, came in 4th. Green posted a time of 1:19.025 minutes, the fastest lap of the race at the Lausitzring, the second time he’s done it at this track. In total, Mercedes has clocked eight out of thirteen fastest laps in DTM races at this track since 2001. It was also the 164th quickest lap for Mercedes-Benz since 1988.

In his 45th DTM race, Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) moved up the field from 16th place to P10 and so finished in the points. Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé) and David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) finished in P11 and P12. In his second DTM race, Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) came home in 16th place. Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) was 21st, Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) did not finish.

The start: Gary Paffett moves up one position at the start into P2. Jamie Green overtakes Mike Rockenfeller on the first turn and is fifth. Vietoris moves up the field four places from 18th on the grid.

Lap 8: Green goes by Edoardo Mortara (Audi) and is in fourth place.

Lap 11: Ralf Schumacher and Christian Vietoris overtake Adrien Tambay (Audi).

Lap 13: The pit stop window is now open. Roberto Merhi, Schumacher and Vietoris come in for their first mandatory stop.

Lap 15 : First set of fresh tyres for Paffett.

Lap 18: Mehri wins through against Tambay in the scrap for 19th position.

Lap 21: Green now leads the race from Bruno Spengler (BMW) and Paffett.

Lap 25: Second pit stop for Merhi.

Lap 26: Green still in the lead but comes in now to make his first pit stop.

Lap 28: Schumacher makes his second mandatory pit stop.

Lap 30: Vietoris overtakes Rockenfeller.

Lap 31: Schumacher goes by Rahel Frey (Audi). Paffett comes in for final mandatory pit stop.

Lap 33: Green in P2 turns into the pit lane.

Lap 36: Paffett four tenths down on Spengler in second place.

Lap 48: Robert Wickens coasts to a halt at the side of the track.

Final lap: After 52 laps and a total distance of 180.856 kilometers, Gary Paffett and Jamie Green are second and fourth. Ralf Schumacher is tenth.

Comments after the race:

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Second:

“It’s such a pity. My THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé had enough speed to win again today. I was just a bit too far behind at the pit-stop. Having said that, my car was really quick and had a brilliant set-up, a tribute to the team. I was also so close to Bruno Spengler’s car that I was losing a bit of down force. However, I did give it my all and being second on the podium within the space of a week is a great result for us, especially after the win in the opening race.”

Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Fourth:

“My Mercedes-AMG C-Coupé was just terrific today. Augusto Farfus drove a fantastic race. I was behind him most of the time, but despite the great pace of my car, I couldn’t get past. Now the focus of my attention has to be on my home race at Brands Hatch where I’m hoping to get back on the podium again.”

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 10th:

“Our C-Coupé was pretty quick today. The car performed flawlessly and the same applies to the strategy and the pit stops. This enabled us to progress from 16th to 10th place. If I can get a better grid position in the next race, I’ll hopefully not get stuck in traffic and be able to compete with the front runners.”

Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), 11th:

“We were not quite as quick as at the season opener in Hockenheim. There was a lot of dirt on the track which cost us more than we expected. It’s a bit annoying that we just missed a points finish, but hopefully things will go better for us in two weeks time at Brands Hatch.”

David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 12th:

“I had to be careful at the start of the race not to collide with any other cars and make sure my car wasn’t damaged. I gave it my all and got the best possible result. I just couldn’t have managed any more than that.”

Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 16th:

“I think the race went well but I would have preferred to have been further up the field. I’m hoping that things will be better for me at Brands Hatch given a bit more preparation.”

Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 21st:

“I had a bit of a disappointing race. Straight after my first pit stop I realised that there was no way I could make any great progress in the race. I’ll just have to draw a line in the sand now and look to the future.”

Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired

“Unfortunately I skidded off the track on lap 48. However, I have made some progress despite this. I’ll now focus all my efforts on Brands Hatch and hopefully pick up my first DTM points there.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:

“Both Gary and Jamie had the speed to secure P1, but at this track it is not enough to simply go faster to be able to overtake. Gary started the race from third place, a mere 0.043 seconds adrift of pole position. He immediately moved up one position as the race began but was subsequently unable to get past the rear of Spengler’s car, which he was then forced to follow for about 50 laps.

Congratulations to BMW and Bruno Spengler on their victory and many thanks to our team for their sterling work since the beginning of the season, which has enabled us to head all three championship standings – the drivers’, the team and manufacturers’ championships.

As in Hockenheim, our C-Coupé and our drivers were highly competitive and we want to make a concerted effort to build on that.”

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) won the 2012 DTM season opener at Hockenheim from sixth place on the grid with a 4.7- second lead on Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé). It was Paffett’s 18th Victory in the DTM and his fourth at Hockenheim. It was the British driver’s 26th podium in the 82nd DTM race of his career and his seventh in a DTM race at Hockenheim. With 18 wins and a winning rate of 22%, Paffett has achieved the greatest number of victories among those drivers currently contesting the DTM. Paffett and Green secured the 100th one-two victory for Mercedes-Benz in the DTM since 1988.

It was the sixth consecutive Mercedes victory at their home race in Hockenheim (opener and finale), and their third win in a row at a DTM season opener (Paffett 2010 and 2012, and Bruno Spengler, 2011). Overall since 1988, Mercedes-Benz has won 32 of 65 DTM races at the Hockenheimring. During the same period, Mercedes-Benz drivers were victorious 166 times in 343 DTM races.

Paffett’s victory was the first success in the new DTM era in the three-way battle between the three premium brands Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz and the first victory for the new DTM Mercedes AMG C Coupé, the successor to the AMG Mercedes C-Class, which is the most successful vehicle in the history of the DTM with 85 victories in 159 races.

Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé) advanced from 15th on the grid to finish fourth. Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) were also amongst the points, finishing seventh and eighth respectively. Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) ended the day in twelfth and 14th positions. DTM rookie Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) was forced to retire from the race.

Jamie Green set the fastest lap with a time of 1:34.901 minutes – the sixth time he has done so at Hockenheim. It is also the 36th time in 65 DTM races at this venue that a Mercedes-Benz driver has posted the fastest lap time. Nine of the last ten fastest laps here were set by a Mercedes-Benz driver.

A total of 142,000 fans attended the DTM opener at Hockenheim this weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun). Some 71,000 spectators were at the track for Sunday’s first race of the new DTM era.

Race summary

• The start: Jamie Green defends his P2 off the line. Gary Paffett moves up two places to fourth. Ralf Schumacher goes up from eleventh on the grid to eighth place.

• Lap 2: Paffett overtakes Edoardo Mortara (Audi) in front of the Mercedes-Benz grandstand.

• Lap 4: Green overtakes lead driver, Mattias Ekström (Audi), to move into P1. Paffett quickly follows him and is now in second place.

• Lap 6: Drive-through penalty for Ralf Schumacher. Christian Vietoris moves up to eighth position.

• Lap 8: Green and Paffett in the lead with a half-second gap between them.

• Lap 9: Vietoris overtakes Filipe Albuquerque (Audi) and is seventh.

• Lap 10: The pit stop window is now open. First mandatory stop for Vietoris. Green extends his lead on Paffett to 0.7 seconds and 4.5 seconds on Ekström.

• Lap 12: Schumacher pits for fresh tyres.

• Lap 13: Green and Coulthard come into the pits. Paffett now leads.

• Lap 14: First mandatory stop for Paffett. He retains his lead on Green.

• Lap 15: Fresh tyres for Susie Wolff and DTM rookie Robert Wickens.

• Lap 16: Mandatory pit stop for Roberto Merhi.

• Lap 18: Paffett has built up a lead of 1.2 seconds on Green and 8.7 seconds on Ekström.

• Lap 19 : Drive-through penalty for Wickens.

• Lap 20: At the half-way stage, three DTM AMG Mercedes C- Coupés are in the top 5: Paffett and Green in P1 and 2, Vietoris in fifth place.

• Lap 21: Second pit stop for Coulthard.

• Lap 22: Final mandatory pit stop for Schumacher and Wolff.

• Lap 24: Merhi and Wickens come in for second pit stop.

• Lap 26: Vietoris pits from fourth position.

• Lap 27: Lead driver Paffett pits for second time.

• Lap 28: Last pit stop for Green. Paffett defends lead from team-mate. Vietoris in fifth place.

• Lap 32: Schumacher overtakes Miguel Molina (Audi) to secure eighth place.

• Lap 34: Vietoris overtakes Mike Rockenfeller (Audi) to move into fourth place.

• Lap 35: Schumacher goes up into P7, in front of Coulthard.

• Lap 38: Merhi retires in the pits.

• Final lap (Lap 40): After 40 laps and a total distance of 182.96 kilometres, Gary Paffett wins the 2012 DTM season opener at Hockenheim from Jamie Green. Christian Vietoris, Ralf Schumacher and David Coulthard finish in P4, P7 and P8 respectively.

Comments after the race:

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Winner:

“What a fantastic start to the new DTM era. Many thanks to the team for their hard work – my THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé was tuned perfectly. After a difficult season in 2011, I am pleased to have found the way back to the podium top spot. I’ve always believed in the team and my speed and that’s now paid off. The scrap with Jamie was really exciting and always very fair, which is exactly how racing should be, simply terrific!”

Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Second:

“Second place on the podium – what a great way to start the 2012 season! The setup of my Mercedes AMG C-Coupé was perfect for today’s race, so a big ‘thank you’ to my team. I got off to a great start and was able to overtake Mattias Ekström early on to take the lead. The contest with Gary was exciting and always very fair. His first pit stop was even faster than mine, so he came out of the pit lane ahead of me. Even so, I’m well satisfied with my second place and am delighted with the one-two win for Mercedes-Benz in the first race of the season.”

Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), Fourth:

“I had a terrific race at the season opener. After qualifying, I would never have dreamt that I could move up from 15th position to fourth, but my C-Coupé was really well prepared and very fast. The pit crew too did their work brilliantly. Overall, it was a great team effort and I’m also very pleased for Gary and Jamie and their one-two victory.”

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Seventh:

“This was a thrilling and exciting start to the new DTM era. I think that the race made exciting entertainment for the many fans in the stands and at home watching on TV. My result could have been better, but I made a mistake and got a penalty, which I have to accept. My pace was good, so I’m really looking forward to the race next weekend at the Lausitzring.”

David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Eighth:

“A P8 finish and three points in the first race of the season is a good result for me. After all the uncertainty in the winter, it was good to actually drive the car under race conditions and to find out where we are relative to the opposition. The one-two victory for Gary und Jamie shows that our C-Coupé is very fast. However, this competition is very tight and there is still everything to play for.”

Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Twelfth:

“What a great start to the season for Mercedes-Benz! I’m very happy for Gary and Jamie, and our team result – five C-Coupés in the Top 8 – was just fantastic. My race was predetermined to some extent since I couldn’t do much from my position on the grid, but a twelfth place from the last row is not a bad result. At the next race in Lausitz, I want to secure a better grid position and improve my placing.”

Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 14th:

“I didn’t manage to finish in the points today, unfortunately. But personally, I think 14th place at the start of the season is quite an achievement for a rookie, especially in such a hard-fought competition as this. I have learned a lot from this first race and I’m sure it will put me in good stead for the rest of the season. I’m pretty sure that with the superb support of the Mercedes team, I will continue to improve as the year progresses.”

Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:

“Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the best of starts in my first DTM race. To add to that, after just five laps, I had a collision with two other cars – my car was damaged and so I was no longer able to match the pace.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:

“Our new C-Coupé was really on song today. This one-two finish for Gary Paffett and Jamie Green is the best possible reward for everyone who has worked so hard on the design and construction of our new DTM C-Coupé. My thanks to everyone – that was some of the best motor racing ever. It just does not get any better, especially Jamie’s and Gary’s overtaking. Super! This represents our 100th one-two victory in the DTM. Five Mercedes AMG C-Coupés finished in the Top 8, and 65% of all the available points went to our drivers and teams. We’ve made a solid start to the new DTM. We will now focus on the race at the Lausitzring next weekend, but first, we have a little celebrating to do with everyone who has worked so hard.”

Jamie Green, driver of the AMG Mercedes C-Class, won the 2011 DTM season finale at Hockenheim by 7.6 seconds from Martin Tomczyk (Audi) after starting from second place on the grid. It was Green’s seventh DTM victory and his second at Hockenheim. This was the 17th podium for the British driver, his sixth in a DTM race at Hockenheim and podium number 480 for a DTM driver at this track.

It was the fifth consecutive victory Mercedes-Benz at their home race in Hockenheim. Since 1988, Mercedes-Benz has won a total of 31 out of 64 DTM races at the Hockenheimring. In the ‘new DTM’ since 2000, a Mercedes driver has won nearly three-quarters of all races at the circuit (19 victories in 26 races).

The season finale was the last race for the AMG Mercedes C-Class, the most successful vehicle in DTM history (85 wins in 159 races). Since 1988, more than half (51%) of the 165 Mercedes-Benz wins have been secured with the C-Class.

To make a direct comparison with Audi, from 202 races, Mercedes-Benz has won 109 times and Audi 62.

Jamie Green set the fastest race lap in Hockenheim – 1:34.114 – for the fifth time at this track. In all, since 1988, Mercedes-Benz drivers have set the fastest lap in 35 of 64 DTM races at Hockenheim. Since the revival of the DTM in 2000, a Mercedes-Benz has set the fastest race lap in 76% of all races (20 of 26 races).

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished his 80th DTM

race in fifth position after starting from seventh on the grid. Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) came home ninth. Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished 11th and 12th. Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class), Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) and David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) crossed the line in 14th, 15th and 17th positions respectively. Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) was forced to retire from the race.

A total of 120,000 spectators attended the DTM finale (Fri, Sat, Sun) in Hockenheim.

Race summary

The start: Jamie Green overtakes pole-sitter Miguel Molina (Audi) at the start of the race and goes into the lead. Gary Paffett moves up one position to sixth place.

Lap 4: Green extends his lead on Martin Tomczyk (Audi) to more than two seconds.

Lap 10: The pit stop window is now open. Paffett is the first C-Class driver to pit. David Coulthard and Christian Vietoris also come in.

Lap 11: Bruno Spengler and Renger van der Zande complete their first mandatory pit stop. Vietoris retires.

Lap 12: Ralf Schumacher and Susie Wolff pit for the first time.

Lap 13: Green comes in for his first stop with a five-second lead.

Lap 18: Second mandatory pit stop for Paffett.

Lap 19: Schumacher and Wolff come in for the second time.

Lap 20: Green has a six-second lead after the first round of pit stops. Van der Zande comes in for the second time.

Lap 21: Coulthard pits for the second time.

Lap 22 : Final mandatory pit stop for Engel.

Lap 24: Spengler pits lying in sixth position.

Lap 26: Green comes in for his final pit stop in the lead.

Lap 29: The pit stop window has now closed. Green leads by 8.6 seconds.

Final lap (Lap 38): Jamie Green wins the 2011 DTM season finale at Hockenheim after 38 laps and a total race distance of 173.812 km. Gary Paffett climbs two positions from seventh place on the grid to finish P5.

Comments after the race:

Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Winner:

“I feel very proud to have won this race which is also the final outing for the AMG Mercedes C-Class, the most successful car in DTM history. My car was perfect and I’m so pleased to have won here at Hockenheim for the second time. Now I can start the winter break on a high as a race winner this year. Many thanks to my team for all their work today and throughout the season. I’m looking forward to the new DTM era which starts in 2012. I’m sure it will be just as exciting as the old one, if not more so…!”

Gary Paffett (AMG Mercedes C THOMAS SABO-Class) – Fifth:

“That was a good race – I started from seventh place, and moved up two positions to fifth. My C-Class ran really well and I would like to have got past Mike Rockenfeller, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. Nevertheless, it was a good finish to a difficult season. I’m already looking forward to 2012.”

Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) – Ninth:

“Unfortunately, my bid to end the season as runner-up in the championship didn’t quite come off, but all the same, I take satisfaction from having won two races and having started from pole position in four. That’s much more important than finishing second in the standings. So all in all, this has been a good year for us. The team worked really hard and, right up to the final lap, we gave it everything. I was faster than Oliver Jarvis and Timo Scheider today, but they proved too difficult to overtake.”

Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Eleventh:

“Congratulations to Jamie on his victory in our home round of the championship – he drove a great race. Unfortunately, I couldn’t manage a points finish today because I started from too far back on the grid. I’m satisfied with the way my season has gone, and from now on, I’ll be focusing all my attention on developing and testing the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé that we’ll be driving in 2012. You can be sure that we’ll be back on the attack then.” Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Twelfth:

“Twelfth place is a decent result for me. I was running really well today and was able to keep up with Ralf. The atmosphere in the stands was terrific – especially in the Motodrom and at the Mercedes grandstand. Overall, I’m pleased with my first DTM season, particularly since my form improved significantly towards the end of season.”

Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 14th:

“I had obviously been hoping for better than P14 in the last race of the season, but I was boxed in by a lot of other cars on the first couple of laps, which cost me several positions. That was just bad luck. I’m very pleased for Jamie. It’s nice to have given the C-Class a fitting send-off in its last race.”

Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 15th:

“I had, of course, hoped to do better than 15th place in my first race as Susie Wolff, but it was tough to move up the field more than a couple of places from P17 on the grid. Like all the team, I’m pleased for Jamie and his victory – the 85th for the C-Class – I love this car!”

David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 17th:

“This was an unlucky race for me – my first pit stop wasn’t brilliant, unfortunately. After that my race was more or less over, since I had no chance to move up the field. I would of course have wished for a better result for the end of the season.”

Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) – retired:

“Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end to the season that I had hoped for. My pit stop didn’t go as intended: the right front wheel wasn’t on properly, which can happen. Up until that point, I had been very satisfied with the way the race was going. I was the best driver of an old-model Mercedes-Benz and had good pace. Too bad that I didn’t finish the final race of the season.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:

“That was the final race to be contested under the current DTM regulations, and for Jamie Green to have won it in such a convincing manner today is a tremendous achievement. Well done to everyone who played their part in making it happen. This is a victory that will go down in the record books and Jamie showed his true calibre today. With our C-Class, we have now won 85 out of 159 races – more than half, in fact – which makes this car the most successful and victorious in DTM history. Since the DTM was revived in 2000, Mercedes-Benz has won 19 races out of 26 at Hockenheim – a fabulous win rate for our home race. Next year, the DTM will welcome a third competitor, BMW, and that affirms the good work done over the last six years by Audi, Mercedes-Benz, the ITR, the DMSB and all our sponsors and TV partners, who always believed in the success of this remarkable championship. At the end of an era, thank you to everybody who has made the third generation of the DTM possible from the start of 2012.”

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

Gary Paffett (30, England):

• With 17 victories to his credit, Paffett has won more DTM races than any other driver currently contesting the series.
• The former DTM champion (2005) and runner-up (2004, 2009 and 2010) was honoured with the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award in 1999 and also won the German Formula 3 Championship in 2002.
• Since the start of the 2005 season, Paffett has been test driver for the McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team.

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):

• In 2011, Bruno Spengler will be racing for his seventh DTM season in an AMG Mercedes C-Class. He finished as runner-up in 2006 and 2007, and came third overall in 2010.
• Since 2003, the Canadian has been a regular member of the Mercedes-Benz squad, first in Formula 3, then in DTM.
• Spengler notched up his first DTM victory at the Norisring in 2006 at the age of 22 years and 334 days, making him one of the youngest winners in DTM history.

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 is about to embark on his fourth season in DTM and his third as a member of the HWA team. His best DTM result was a P5 finish in Dijon (2009). In the 2010 race in Nuremberg, he secured his first ever DTM pole position.
• Between 1997 and 2007, Schumacher competed in 180 Formula One races, recording six wins and six pole positions. In the 2001 and 2002 F1 seasons, he finished fourth in the championship.
• With a total of six GP wins, Ralf Schumacher is the third-most successful German Formula One driver of all time behind his brother, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver Michael Schumacher, and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel

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’s connections with Mercedes-Benz go back 14 years. In 1997 he was already a member of the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz junior talent scheme.
• Green took the 2004 Formula 3 Euro Series title driving a Dallara Mercedes for the ASM team, winning seven out of the 20 races that season.
• Jamie has won the DTM race at the Norisring in Nuremberg in each of the last three seasons – each time with the same Young Stars AMG Mercedes C-Class.

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 is about to start her sixth DTM season with Mercedes-Benz. In her very first race back in 2006, she finished a respectable tenth.
• Susie scored her first DTM points with a P7 finish at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in the 2010 season. She repeated the feat at Hockenheim.

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 drove cars powered by Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engines in the 2008 and 2009 Formula 3 Euro Series. He won five races, took twelve pole positions and finished his second season as runner-up.
• In 2010, Vietoris embarked on his debut season in the F1-linked GP2 series, winning one race and finishing tenth overall.

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 scored his first DTM points in the season opener at Hockenheim in 2009. His best race result to date is a sixth-place finish.
• Before moving up to DTM, Engel was runner-up in the 2007 British Formula 3 Championship, driving a car powered by the Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engine.

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):

• Coulthard made his DTM debut in 2010, driving a Mercedes-Benz. In the final race in Shanghai, he scored his first championship point and set the fastest race lap.
• The Scot competed in 150 Formula One races for McLaren Mercedes. It was during this period that he posted twelve of his 13 Grand Prix wins, including a first victory for McLaren-Mercedes in Australia (1997).
• Together with team-mate Mika Häkkinen (Formula One world champion in 1998 and 1999, Mercedes-Benz DTM driver 2005-2007), Coulthard won the 1998 Formula One Constructors’ Championship. In 2001, he was runner-up in the drivers’ standings.

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 was part of the Mercedes-Benz young driver scheme, contesting not only the Formula 3 Euro Series but also the German and British Formula 3 championships.
• While driving in these junior classes, van der Zande worked closely with the Radboud University and applied himself assiduously to the Mercedes-Benz sports medicine programme, building up his physical fitness in spectacular fashion.

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.”

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.”