Photo: DTM Media

Daniel Juncadella to make DTM comeback with Mercedes

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Mercedes AMG has completed its driver line up for the upcoming DTM season, with series returnee Daniel Juncadella taking the sixth and final drive with the Stuttgart based team.

Juncadella became a Mercedes works driver after winning the Formula 3 Euroseries in 2012 and made his DTM debut the following year. The Spaniard has two fourth place finishes as his best result in the series.

Dropped from the DTM squad as the team downsized from eight to six cars in 2017, Juncadella remained a reserve driver in the series whilst also competing for Mercedes in GT racing.

He becomes the second driver to rejoin Mercedes for its final season in the series after confirmation of the re-signing of ex-F1 racer Pascal Wehrlein.

“It feels great to be back racing in the DTM this year,” said Juncadella. “I’m really keen to get back in the car after a one-year break from competition in the DTM. I gained further racing practice last year thanks to race outings in a number of GT series and my role as test and reserve driver. I’ve remained very close to the team throughout the season and so, am familiar with the new generation of cars and the DTM rule changes.”

Juncadella was promoted to Mercedes top-tier squad HWA in 2016, but a damaged chassis and a string of incidents prevented the Spaniard from achieving notable results, losing his only DTM podium after an exclusion at the Hungaroring due to a technical infringement.

“I’m pleased that at last, I can now contest DTM races again,” he said. “I never really brought things to a satisfactory conclusion in the DTM and always had the feeling that my results never reflected my true ability. I now intend to put that right.”

Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM Ulrich Fritz added: “Daniel knows the team really well from previous years and was present at race weekends during 2017 as a test and reserve driver, so he won’t need much time to settle back in.

“He knows the car and the team members from the past and will have no problem settling back in with the squad. I’m confident that he’ll be able to support the team really well this season with his experience and speed.”