Paffett and Green overjoyed with “perfect” start

Gary Paffett and Jamie Green gave Mercedes a perfect start to the new DTM season with the new regulations after a Mercedes 1-2 at Hockenheim.
“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,” said Paffett.

Paffett had an impressive race from sixth on the the grid to taking the lead after the first pitstop from team mate Green after a tight battle.
“The scrap with Jamie was really exciting and always very fair, which is exactly how racing should be, simply terrific!” said Paffett.

Green started second behind Audi man Mattias Ekström and made his up in to the lead early on after a mistake from the Audi driver.
“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,” said Green.

Paffett and Green pulled up a gap from Ekström, who was unable to respond to the pace of the Mercedes duo, who finished 19 seconds behind in the end.
“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,” said Green.