Gary Paffett hunts season opener victory

2005 DTM champion Gary Paffett starts his eight Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season this weekend. The Brit won the season opener last year and is hoping to start the 2011 season in the same style.
“The season start is very important. You want the confidence from a good start of the season to carry over to the second race, especially as the championship is so close and the fact that we only have eleven races,” said Paffett to TouringCarTimes.

2011 marks the final year with the current, frozen, regulations ahead of the switch of regulations in 2012. While the cars are more or less the same this year as last year, the big change is going from Dunlop as tyre supplier to Hankook.

“The balance is quite similar but the fact is that we do not really know yet. It is going to be a bit experimental at Hockenheim. We have not tested with Audi yet and we do not know how competitive we are going to be. Maybe Audi has found a lot of time during testing, maybe Mercedes has got the advantage. It is certainly going to be interesting,” said Paffett.

Mercedes had a clear advantage over Audi last year with Paffett and his two team mates Paul Di Resta and Bruno Spengler making the title race an internal Mercedes affair. However, Paffett expects things to be different this season.

“I fully expect Audi to be back again. They were not off pace last year, but they struggled with consistency. They are going to try hard to be back this year,” said Paffett.

Paffett continues his test and reserve driver role for the McLaren Formula One team alongside his DTM program. While his commitments for McLaren takes a lot of time, Paffett says that it is something affecting him in a positive way.

“I have already been involved in three races weekends and I have done a lot of work in the simulator. When the other drivers are off during the winter, I am driving. It keeps you sharp and it is beneficial for me, no doubt,” said Paffett.

While the DTM 2011 season has not yet begun, Paffett is keeping an eye on the 2012 season with the new regulations and the return of BMW.

“I am certainly planning to be there. It is great with new cars and the fact that BMW comes in. The new cars are not too far away from what they are currently, it is a new way to make it easier for other manufacturers to come in. I think it is looking very good and I am really hoping that it is going to work,” said Paffett.

F1 duties and new DTM regulations aside, Paffett’s current focus is set hard on the upcoming season start at Hockenheim.

“Testing has gone well, we have taken small steps forward. I have won the first race of the season twice and I hope to make it three times on sunday. My goal for this year is to win my second title,” said Paffett.