Gary Paffett – 100 races and still going

Gary Paffett hasn’t had it easy this season so far. The Mercedes man, who came within a whisker of claiming the title in 2012, currently lies sixth in the standings, 59 points behind championship leader, Mike Rockenfeller.

Despite winning at the Lausitzring, accidents, penalties and just general bad luck have blighted Paffett in 2013; the year which saw him complete his 100th DTM race since joining the series half-way through the 2003 season.

However, Paffett is a racing driver, and if anything, racing drivers do not do regret and “coulda woulda shoulda”.

Before the cars hit his favourite track, Zandvoort, in Saturday morning’s free practice session, TouringCarTimes decided to catch up with the Briton to discuss his 100 race career, this season, and that rivalry with Mattias Ekström…

1. TouringCarTimes: When you first came into the DTM in 2003, did you think you’d make it to 100 races?

Gary Paffett: No, when I first started in the DTM it was just a relief that I had a drive. It was a couple of weeks after the Brand Motorsport F3000 team closed shop in the middle of May and I didn’t have a drive at all; getting the call to drive in DTM was great as it gave me a seat to sit in and somewhere to drive. I then had a couple of good results in 2003, and from that point realized I could have a career in DTM. In 2004 I got promoted to the works’ team and started winning races and fighting for titles. Even then, I still didn’t think I’d have this long a career in the DTM because at that point, you still dream of being in F1 and certainly in 2005 there was a lot of talk about me going there. I probably didn’t feel I’d reach 100 DTM races, but the time when I came back here in 2007, and certainly when I got back into a works car in 2009, that was when I realised I’d have an extended DTM career. Either way, you don’t look at the numbers building up and think “god, I’m nearly at 100”; it just kind of comes up on you. I think it was three or four days before Oschersleben and someone told me. I just thought; “oh, right!”

2. TcT: When you first came to Mercedes, how difficult was the going to work in a German series, surrounded by German speakers?

GP: It was easier than you’d think to be honest. There was a situation a few years before that in 2001 when I was looking for an F3 drive. We couldn’t find the funding to get one in the UK, so I ended up going to race for Team Rosberg in Germany. I’d spent two years racing over there in F3 supporting the DTM, so it wasn’t that much of a jump. The other thing was, was that I was racing for Rosberg in F3 and then raced for them in my first DTM year. It was good because I’d been at the factory where the DTM cars were built, so I knew all the guys, all the engineers. It wasn’t that much of a step, but the DTM car was just different to drive.

3. How’s your German?

GP: [Laughs] It’s still not very good. I’ve picked bits up but I don’t do interviews in Germany or anything. Over the next few years I might, but I don’t know.

4. In addition to the title in 2005, could you name some other high points in your career, as well as some low ones?

GP: Well, the first high point I had apart from winning the championship was my first race win in 2004 with the works Mercedes team. That was a great result and real high. When I won the title in 2005; that was just an awesome year from day one. From that point onwards until 2007, I left the DTM in 2006 to focus on F1 testing with McLaren because there was so testing much to do then.

I came back to the DTM a year later because testing was reduced and I was put into a year-old car because there weren’t any current seats available. That was a relatively low point, because I wanted to drive a works car and fight for the title. However, winning at Oschersleben in 2007 when I won with a year-old car and became the first driver to do so was really great. The whole of 2008 was pretty tough in general as I was in a year-old car again, but in 2009 I was put back into a factory HWA car and I think I won my second race back with the team at the Lausitzring. That was a really high point, what with coming back there and really wanting to show I can do the job of winning races; I qualified seventh and won. It was my second race back in the car and that year I finished as the best of the Mercedes’ drivers. I managed to beat Bruno [Spengler] and Paul [di Resta] and actually just missed the title.

Again, 2010 was good because I was winning races and finished second to Paul in the title race. That was a great, competitive year because it was just three Mercedes’ fighting for the championship. That was a bizarre feeling. You normally get support from your team-mates, but at that point, it was all out war. It was pretty interesting.

However, 2011 was pretty low in general; we struggled for pace all season and luck too. Every time I got close to a podium, we ended up losing it through a technical problem or whatever. Actually, it’s still pretty tough to explain. It was a challenge really, and that’s why 2012 was so good for me.

After 2011, I wanted a strong performance and it was a great. Obviously, there were a few races where I got taken out, but the whole of 2012 was pretty strong. I also feel that followed through into 2013 with the strength I had in the car. The run of luck has been very different this year and we haven’t been as competitive as we were in 2012, but I’m very happy with what I’ve achieved over the last few years.

5. TcT: Out of the current drivers, who do you worry about as your closest competitor?

GP: That’s difficult to say, because if you look at this year alone, it has to be Mike Rockenfeller. He’s been so strong and consistent all year. However, to be perfectly honest, the people I fear the most on a race-by-race basis are Mattias [Ekström] who you always have to keep an eye on, and Bruno [Spengler] because he’s an exceptionally fast driver and is always strong in qualifying. Certainly this year, you have to say Rockenfeller also seems to be someone who is always right at the front.

6. TcT: Since you started in the DTM in 2003, who has been your biggest rival?

GP: Mattias has to be. When I started in a works car in 2004, we came together and met each other quite a lot on-track that year. In 2005, we also had an incredibly fierce fight and ever since then, we’ve just seemed to find each other on track. He’s the one person who I seem to always find myself racing with. That said, Bruno is as well, but Mattias has been there longer than I have. Since 2004, he’s been someone who has consistently performed.

7. TcT: There were rumours in 2012 that Ekstrom was a possible 2013 team-mate at Mercedes. Would you have enjoyed sharing a garage with him?

GP: I think it would have been interesting. We’re friends away from the track and out of all the drivers, team-mates or not, he’s one of the guys I get on with the most, but you can never say. I think it would have worked out well though if it did happen, or will happen at some point…