Mercedes AMG looking at winning the title after five years
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season finale is at hand, with the ninth and last event of the year at Hockenheim. For the first time since 2010, Mercedes AMG is in a favourable position to become champions, and the Stuttgart outfit is ready for the final effort.
Pascal Wehrlein leads the Drivers’ standings with a healthy gap of 37 points over Audi’s Edoardo Mortara, with Mattias Ekström just one further point away. The battle for the title has been fierce all year, but the problems suffered by the Swede in Oschersleben and Nürburgring, together with Wehrlein’s continuous points scoring, has given the HWA AG driver the edge, needing to score just 13 points to be the champion.
Wehrlein, who is celebrating his 21st birthday on Sunday, is focused on making the most of the final round of the season: “On the one hand, it’s sad to see the season coming to an end. But on the other hand, I am very happy with how the year has gone so far and that I’m in a good position in the title chase. Consequently, I’m looking forward to the last two races of the season in front of my friends, my family and the many fans in the Mercedes grandstand.“
The anti climax feeling as the racing action comes to an end is also shared by Gary Paffett. The ART GP driver has had a complicated season, where a myriad of problems have prevented him from getting better results. The Briton lies seventh in the Drivers’ table, being the second Mercedes to have made it into the top ten: “I have mixed emotions going into Hockenheim. I’m obviously looking forward to the weekend because, based on our recent form, we should have a competitive car. Hopefully we can go there and score some good points so that we finish the season on a high. It is the end of the season, and I think ART and myself have been working really well. We’re just getting to the point where we want to be, and that’s to be competitive. In that regard, it’s a bit disappointing that the season is coming to an end now. But I think we can build on that over the winter and go from there.”
The gooix/Original Teile pair at HWA AG, formed by Wehrlein and Christian Vietoris, also leads the Teams’ standings, with a healthy 40-point advantage over their rivals. Vietoris goes to Hockenheim with the objective of helping Mercedes in their quest for the Manufacturers’ title: “I am glad that we have one last chance to get the most out of the season. We’ve unfortunately slipped down in the championship standings after the last couple of races. For the sake of my crew and for myself, I’m hoping for a good conclusion. That would also give us some positive momentum to take into the winter tests. The team has worked hard throughout the year and deserves good results at the weekend.”
Mercedes AMG is in second place in the Manufacturers’ standings, 51 points behind leaders BMW and 31 ahead of Audi Sport. Ulrich Fritz, Head of DTM for the Stuttgart manufacturer, hopes the title will come as rewards for his men after a tough season, at Mercedes’ home race: “The whole team has delivered an outstanding performance so far. We now need to maintain this form in the last two races, so that we come away with a tangible reward. We are in an excellent position to win titles in both the drivers’ and the team championships. And we are still in with a chance in the manufacturers’ championship. Because Hockenheim counts as our home race, we traditionally have the support of many fans and employees. Every seat in the Mercedes-Benz grandstand will certainly be taken. I am very happy about this, because after all, it’s for the fans that we race our cars. I’m certainly hoping that we will give them good cause for cheer this weekend. But until then, we still have plenty of work to do.”
Action for the ninth and final round of the 2015 DTM season kicks off at 15:25 on Friday, for the First Free Practice session.
