Mercedes AMG eager and prepared for the new DTM season
The wait is over for the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters teams and drivers, with the 2016 season kicking off this weekend in Hockenheim. Mercedes AMG has been preparing the racing debut of their new C63 DTM, and the team can’t wait for the challenge.
The work has been arduous work for Mercedes this winter, adapting the new C63 DTM to the new homologated parts, with development frozen until the end of the year. Despite the difficulties, the Stuttgart manufacturer has completed two meaningful tests in Monteblanco and Hockenheim, in readiness for their 17th season in the series.
The team is eager to get down to business this weekend. “The guys have all worked hard to make the new car ready for use in the DTM. Above all, the motivation across the board is remarkable. I hope that Hockenheim will be the curtain-raiser to an exciting and successful season,” states Ulrich Fritz, head of Mercedes AMG DTM.
Gary Paffett will again be the most experienced driver for the team, racing in his 13th DTM season, and the second with Team ART. The 2005 champion believes he and his team can extract more out of the competition this year: “I’m curious to see where we all stand. As always, the DTM will be closely fought, but my ART team and I now have an additional year’s experience under our belt. I believe that we are in for a good season.”
One of Mercedes’ main assets, namely 2015 drivers’ champion Pascal Wehrlein, has left the outfit in pursue of a career in Formula 1. Former reserve driver for the Stuttgart squad, Esteban Ocon, has taken the vacant seat and will be the only new face on the 2016 DTM grid. The Frenchman has an optimistic outlook for the year: “I’ve been training hard over the winter and just can’t wait for my first DTM race. I’ve set myself high expectations for this first season.”
Mercedes AMG has also carried out a reshuffle of their teams and driver pairings in the series, promoting Daniel Juncadella and Maximilian Götz to HWA AG in order to maximise the strengths show by the different drivers last season.
Juncadella will be starting his fourth season in the DTM, and the first out of Team Mücke. The Spaniard is determined to make the most of the opportunity: “The switch to HWA is in any case an additional motivation for me. This year, I definitely want to make my first DTM podium appearance.”
Max Götz also graduates to the premier Mercedes Team, with the young German having prepared intensively for the new season: “I’ve already driven three races in the AMG GT3 so far this year on the Nordschleife. So I think I can say with some confidence that I’ve shaken off the cobwebs! The two days of testing at Hockenheim with the new team and the new car worked well. I feel well prepared and I’m glad that the break is over. The season will certainly be exciting and tight.”
The driver pairings for the three-point star manufacturer are as follows:
Team ART
#2 Gary Paffett
#34 Esteban Ocon
Team HWA I
#12 Dani Juncadella
#6 Robert Wickens
Team HWA II
#3 Paul Di Resta
#84 Maximilian Götz
Team Mücke
#22 Lucas Auer
#8 Christian Vietoris
