Christian Vietoris: “I didn’t really expect third”

Mercedes’ Christian Vietoris was surprised with his third place finish at the Nürburgring, after he dropped towards the bottom of the field at the start after a gamble with his tyre and pit-stop strategy.

Vietoris qualified eighth, and conceded to TouringCarTimes after the race that he did not expect to finish on the podium, after he was unsure of the strategy and tyre choice both he and the HWA Mercedes team made last night.

“No, I didn’t really expect third”, he said. “We knew it would be hard with the tyres and set-up we chose last night.

“Starting on those standard tyres was hard as it was wet and there’s a lot less grip than the option, so that’s why I dropped to 14th or 16th and from there it was a crazy race.”

Vietoris also said he felt that the turning point in his race was when it began to rain heavily, as the handling of his Mercedes’ C-Coupe improved, despite his dislike of the circuit.

“The wet conditions were a turning point and the car was really good on the wet-tyre; there were lots of fights and a lot of overtaking. I really enjoyed myself.”

As a result of his third place, his fourth podium of 2013, Vietoris now moves up to second in the championship, and is confident he can maintain the position until the end of the season in October.

“I’m confident [of this form] for the rest of the year, because this is my least liked track. Over the years, I’ve not had much success around here, so I’m glad it’s done.”