Robert Wickens overcomes power steering problems to score points in Moscow

Mercedes AMG driver Robert Wickens had expected more from the second day of racing at the Moscow Raceway, but technical difficulties robbed the Canadian of a possible podium result.

Wickens qualified in fourth place on the grid, starting from third due to Maxime Martin’s demotion to the last spot. The Canadian had good pace during the initial laps, but soon started to have problems with the steering on his C63 DTM, losing the power steering on lap 12. From then on, and with championship rival Marco Wittmann leading by a big margin, Wickens focussed on minimising the damage, helped by team-mate Daniel Juncadella.

Wickens was fifth at the chequered flag, scoring valuable championship points after a myriad of problems. “I was third behind Blomqvist for quite a time but then ran into problems with the power steering. It gradually got harder to steer and I could feel vibrations as well. And then I completely lost power steering around Lap 12. Plus, I had a contact with Martin Tomczyk after my pit stop. The resulting damage cost me more lap time than the problems with the steering. It was really hard to keep out of the way of other drivers without power steering and with less downforce than normal. But still, I can be pleased in the end, since at times, I didn’t think I would make it to the finish line”, said the Canadian after the race.

The Team HWA I driver acknowledged the importance of team work in his result: “Dani is the man of the race for me. I can’t thank him enough for his support. But for him, I wouldn’t have been in the points.” Wickens now is second on the Drivers’ table, 12 points behind leader Marco Wittmann.

Daniel Juncadella helped Wickens score as many points as possible. However, at the last corner of the race, and with Audi’s Mattias Ekström overtaking on the inside, the Mercedes’ gearbox failed, causing the Spaniard to lose four positions, dropping out of the points. Juncadella was happy after the race: “For once, I had a normal qualifying without incidents or problems. Unfortunately, Robert had a problem and I tried to defend him, because he was really struggling with his car. In the end, I finished outside the points, but in a team you just have to stick together when it’s a battle for the title.”

Ulrich Fritz, Head of Mercedes AMG DTM, highlighted the importance of a positive result for the championship, with the Stuttgart manufacturer now 50 points behind BMW: “We expected more to be quite honest after qualifying, but it wasn’t easy for us today. Whereas yesterday went really well for us, today was so disappointing. What’s important is that we were able to reduce the gap on the leaders in the drivers’ standings this weekend.”