Gary Paffett upbeat about his chances this year
Gary Paffett hasn’t had a great start to the 2015 DTM season, but feels upbeat and hopeful about what is in store for him this year, with a renewed outlook on the championship.
Yesterday the Briton was demoted to the end of the grid, as his mechanics had to break the parc fermé after the qualifying. Later, in the race, the ART Grand Prix driver was recovering nicely, when Martin Tomczyk spun and collected him in the aftermath.
As Paffett starts his 13th season in the DTM, he looks at the changes in the racing format: “Now it seems that all we do is eating and having meetings!” joked the Briton whilst talking to TouringCarTimes after the race on Saturday. “It’s important for the drivers to keep the energy levels up, despite the tight agenda. So our first adjustment affected the way we eat. Also, we have a lot of meetings to discuss things such as setup and race strategy, so we are a lot busier.”
“The parc fermé between qualifying and the race rule means that all the setup work has to be done the evening before, as we can’t touch the car once we finish the qualy, so drawing conclusions with our engineers is very important,” explained Paffett.
“Also, with double the races and all the action on Saturday and Sunday, the first commandment is to not break the car. The main reason is that there isn’t much repair time. Therefore, big damage can affect the rest of the weekend, and now we have double the points up for grabs,” continued the Briton.
A common affirmation is that the two races awarding full points will help for the championship to remain open until the end, and it works both ways: “We got taken out of the race today, but we still have tomorrow. We could have a good race and score some points, and finish the weekend with a positive balance. But tomorrow everything starts all over again.”
Mercedes have made a significant step forward with their pace and results. Paffett is expectant of what the revised car can achieve: “The winter was long and there was a lot of development work taking place. There are still some improvements to be made, but we are working in the right direction. The feedback from other drivers is good, so I hope to be able to challenge for the top positions.”
The Stuttgart manufacturer raised its commitment, matching that of its rivals, by lining up an eighth C63 DTM. In order to support the 2015 operation, Art Grand Prix was called into action, welcoming Paffett and Lucas Auer on board. The Briton sees the new team as a great asset for Mercedes: “ART Grand Prix has a lot of experience, but they don’t know the DTM. So I have been helping them in order to understand the cars, the competition and be ready.”
Today everybody will go back to a blank sheet as not only the race is longer (60 minutes plus one lap, with a compulsory pit stop), but also rain is forecasted, in contrast with yesterday’s dry conditions.
