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Mercedes looking for success at the Lausitzring

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Mercedes Benz hopes to have put behind Hockenheim’s woes and looks forward to the second round of the DTM season, taking place this weekend at the Lausitzring.

The Mercedes AMG C63 DTM showed improved competitiveness in Hockenheim, compared to last season. Still, the Stuttgart manufacturer enjoyed mixed fortunes, with three visits to the podium, but also a quiver of ‘ifs and buts’ that stopped them from achieving better results.

The DTM moves now onto the second round of the season, where Mercedes hopes to consolidate the positives achieved in Hockenheim in order to obtain a better result in Lausitzring.

Gary Paffett had a very strong performance on the second race in Hockenheim, recovering from last line of the grid to a podium finish, and targets the front positions on his bid to come back to the top: “The podium at Hockenheim certainly came as a relief. It was good to see that the hard work over the winter has paid off and that we are on track to achieve our goal of closing the gap on the other manufacturers. I think we are in good shape and that we are capable of podium finishes at the Lausitzring, maybe even race wins.”

Paffett expects a strong opposition from the rival manufacturers, but thinks Mercedes can still achieve a good result: “I would say that there is not a lot separating the manufacturers, which is very good because it means the skills of the drivers now count for more. If we finish in the Top Five in both races, it would be a successful weekend.”

Pascal Wehrlein achieved his first DTM victory at the Lausitzring last year, becoming the youngest ever winner in the series. The 20-year old faces the second race of the season as the best place Mercedes driver in the standings, and targets being at the front again: “I am really looking forward to the next race at the Lausitzring. Last year, I got my first win there, so I obviously have very fond memories of the track. My objective is, of course, to finish on the podium twice and, as always, to do my best. It’s very satisfying to see that we have made such a big step forward. Our team has worked hard. I’m quite sure that we will be lining up in a competitive car.”

Ulrich Fritz, Head of DTM for the Stuttgart manufacturer, is pleased with progress, but remains realistic about the challenge ahead: “The podiums secured on the opening weekend at Hockenheim have done our entire team a power of good; they represent a well-deserved reward for all the hard work over the winter. Nevertheless, the whole team is aware that much work still lies ahead if we are to finish among the top places in the DTM on a regular basis. With the Lausitzring, we now have a track on which we have scored eight wins over the past ten seasons. But we also realise that success in the past is never a guarantee of successful weekends in the future. It’s difficult to make any sort of forecast with the strength of competition that we’re up against in the DTM. That’s what makes this series so fascinating.”

The Lausitzring weekend starts on Friday at 11:45 CEST, with the Roll Out session.