Mercedes and Pascal Wehrlein make history in Hockenheim
Pascal Wehrlein finished eighth today to clinch his first ever drivers’ title in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, becoming also the youngest ever driver to do so. For Mercedes, it was their tenth title in the series, the highest count for any manufacturer.
The home weekend for Mercedes AMG has gone very well so far. Pascal Wehrlein wrote the last word on one of the fiercest battles for the title seen in recent years. The HWA AG driver managed to finish ahead of his rivals to make his points’ advantage count and settle the 2015 drivers’ crown. Wehrlein achieved his dream the day before turning 21, beating Marco Wittmann by over two years to become the youngest DTM champion.
Wehrlein was a new man after the race, having overcome a difficult year to add another title to his racing acumen: “You can’t be too pleased until you’re sure of the result. It’s all over very quickly especially in the DTM, but all the pressure fell away from me from after crossing the finish line. It’s just mega. Thanks to the whole team for their superb work this season. I had a fast car today and was able to prove it as well towards the end of the race.”
Paul Di Resta actually was the highest classified Mercedes driver in the race, finishing in fourth position. The Scot blamed a poor start for not being able to get a better result: “Congratulations to the team for what they’ve achieved. My qualifying was good, and I was up near the front. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the best of starts. After that, everybody just followed one another, but we have a very strong car and will be challenging for the front again tomorrow. If everything goes right, we’ve got the speed to win the race.”
In the teams’ table, the gooix/Original Teile pair at HWA AG, formed by Wehrlein and Christian Vietoris, is in good shape to become the champions tomorrow, going into the final race of the year with a 27-point advantage over BMW Team RMG.
Ulrich Fritz, Head of DTM at Mercedes AMG, was a smiling man after the race, and praised his men’s efforts during the season, hoping for more to come tomorrow.
“Congratulations to Pascal Wehrlein. He has driven an incredibly good season and is a worthy champion, the youngest in the history of the series. But above all, I have to express my gratitude to our whole team. Going into the campaign, we could not have expected such a result. But the entire team has worked so hard at all times and made hardly any errors. It’s a remarkable achievement. However, the season isn’t quite over, so we obviously won’t be downing tools yet. We’ll be giving it everything we’ve got again tomorrow, and celebrating afterwards.”
The final day of the 2015 DTM season starts tomorrow at 9:05, with the morning warm-up.
