Hockenheim tests come to an end: 7,000 kilometres on the clock in preparation for the start of the season

The winter tests are over: The Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM Team cracks the 7,000km mark as testing comes to an end at Hockenheim

• Four days of testing at Hockenheim (9th - 12th April)
• All six Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM drivers in action
• Pascal Wehrlein back in a DTM car for the first time since 2015; Daniel Juncadella fit again after his recent injury
• Gary Paffett: “Of course, it’s nice to see your own name at the top of the timesheets, but that’s not very important in test sessions”
• Ulrich Fritz: “We put in 1,606 laps and covered 7,346 kilometres on the four test days this week, which was very important, as every kilometre is enormously valuable for us because of the small number of test days this year” 

Mercedes-AMG Motorsport are about to write the final chapter in their 30-year DTM history. Shortly before the start of their anniversary season, the team were at Hockenheim, attending a dress rehearsal for the season opener which will be hosted by the same venue. 

Over the course of the four days of testing, the six Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM drivers completed 1,606 laps – equivalent to a distance of 7,346 kilometres on the 4.574 km Hockenheimring – more than either of the other two manufacturers.

“I’m pretty happy after my two days of testing,” said team captain Gary Paffett, who set the fastest time on the second day. “ The weather has been good and we had lots of dry running. The cars run very well; we have done lots of testing and lots of mileage. I’m really pleased with that. As for the pace, it’s impossible to say really. I think it means nothing at all so far, but it’s always nice to see your name at the top of the time sheets. That was good, but it means very little at the moment. What is important is that we are working through the changes to the car and we are finding a better balance and making some good progress on short runs and long runs. I think we have a really good understanding of the car now, and we are well prepared for the first race in Hockenheim.”

The test days were particularly important for Daniel Juncadella. The Spaniard had broken his collarbone just over a week before in a cycling accident, but he was determined to return to the cockpit at Hockenheim. “It was great to be back in the car this week,” said Daniel Juncadella after immediately putting in 121 laps. “All in all, it was very positive. I completed my programme and did plenty of laps without experiencing pain. It’s great to feel so fit again just ten days after my injury. This is the most important thing for me to take away from the tests. Now I just can’t wait for the opening race weekend.”

The same goes for the 2015 DTM champion, whose turn it was to drive on Day 1 - the first time he had got behind the wheel of a DTM car since his championship-winning season. “I was delighted to be back in the car again,” said Pascal Wehrlein. “It was high time after the long winter break. The process of adapting from Formula 1 to the DTM went quite fast. Lap times in the winter tests are always hard to judge, but I definitely got a positive feeling. We learned a lot, and it’s been a good two and a half days for me. Hockenheim cannot come too soon.”

After the long winter break, Edoardo Mortara was also delighted to be back on track in his Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM. “I covered a lot of kilometres and managed to do plenty of testing,” he said. “I had my turn at the beginning of the week, so we were doing a lot of work on the setup of the car. After that, we also tested with qualifying and actual race situations in mind. I’m now hoping that we will be competitive at the start of the season.”

Paul Di Resta obviously enjoyed his first laps of the new year: “ I got a feeling of how the new car works. As a team, we got through most of our priorities, and the majority of our test programme is ultimately all about putting the time until the first race to a good use. Credit to the team – it’s been a long four days for them. I’m looking forward to getting back into action, turning on the power, getting aggressive and going out and racing these cars.

“This is precisely what racing drivers such as Paul and Lucas Auer love about their job. “The two days of testing were very productive,” added Lucas. “We tested a lot of components, and I really got back into my rhythm. After the test drives, we know the direction we need to go in. I’m now curious to see who has the upper hand in the first race at Hockenheim.”

Of course, the winter test drives do not conclusively answer the big question of how the teams measure up to each other. “We have an exhausting but successful final week of testing behind us in the run‑up to the season opener at the same venue here in Hockenheim,” said Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM Ulrich Fritz. “We put in 1,606 laps and covered 7,346 kilometres on the four test days this week, which was very important, as every kilometre is enormously valuable for us because of the small number of test days this year. The whole team were highly dedicated and did a good job. Also, it was nice to see all our drivers in action again after the long winter break. We’ll find out just how well we’ve done our homework when the season begins in early May.”

The Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM Team now returns to the factory in Affalterbach, where the engineers will continue with final preparations for the season opener on the weekend of 4th - 6th May at Hockenheimring. 

They will be evaluating the data from the winter test drives and applying the final touches to the cars for the upcoming campaign. The drivers and crew will be working through the last part of their physical fitness programme over the coming weeks. This will include sessions in the gym and pit stop practice. The results of the tough pre-season will become apparent on 5th May when Mercedes-AMG Motorsport embarks on its anniversary season at Hockenheim.

Summary of Hockenheim test week:

Driver	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu
Lucas Auer			1:32.912 138 laps	1:32.789 147 laps
Paul Di Resta	1:33.903 67 laps		1:33.487 80 laps	1:33.023 145 laps
Daniel Juncadella		1:32.870 121 laps	1:32.361 55 laps
Gary Paffett	1:33.591 128 laps	1:32.759 141 laps
Edoardo Mortara	1:33.496 113 laps	1:33.095 152 laps
Pascal Wehrlein	1:33.524 54 laps		1:32.169 133 laps	1:33.059 132 laps

Source: Daimler

Squad of drivers now complete: Christian Vietoris becomes test and reserve driver

Another DTM comeback: Christian Vietoris completes driver line-up for the 2018 season as test and reserve driver

• Christian has six years of experience in the DTM, twice finishing fourth in the drivers’ classification
• Christian Vietoris: “After a year's absence, I'm obviously delighted to be back in motorsport, and as a member of the Mercedes family.”
• Ulrich Fritz: “We’ve known Christian for a long time now. He’s a very fast racing driver and a terrific team player.”

The opening round of the 2018 DTM season in Hockenheim is fast approaching. The Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM Team has completed its squad of drivers for the upcoming special anniversary season with the signing of DTM race winner Christian Vietoris. He will provide back-up for the team at all ten race weekends as a test and reserve driver and will take the place of one of the six drivers if needed.

“After a year's absence, I'm obviously delighted to be back in motorsport, and as a member of the Mercedes family,” said Christian, who is the third driver returning to the DTM in this year’s squad along with Daniel Juncadella and Pascal Wehrlein. “My batteries are fully charged, and I'm ready to step in as substitute driver in the DTM. After six years in the DTM with Mercedes, I have a lot of experience and I'm ready whenever the team needs me.”

Christian lined up for six years with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport in the DTM from 2011 to 2016. During this time, he secured one win, three pole positions, nine podiums and two fastest laps. He had his two most successful seasons in 2013 and 2014 when he was the team’s best driver, finishing fourth in the drivers’ standings in both years. 

His maiden win in Oschersleben in 2014 remains one of the highlights of his DTM career to date when, thanks to deploying the right strategy, he finished on the top spot of the podium in difficult, variable weather conditions from 16th on the grid.

“We’ve known Christian for a very long time. He’s a very fast racing driver and a terrific team player,” said Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM Ulrich Fritz. “He knows the team and the way we do things and has several years of DTM experience. 

It’s exactly these qualities you want in a reserve driver, who needs to be ready to jump into the car at short notice and perform well. We know what we’ve got in Christian and are pleased to have found an experienced driver to complete our squad.”

The first weekend of the new 2018 DTM season begins with a home race for the team in Hockenheim on the weekend of 4th - 6th May.

Source: Daimler

Tales from the paddock – Daniel Juncadella: ‘Titanium Man’ returns to the cockpit

Daniel Juncadella was back in a racing car during the DTM tests at Hockenheim for the first time since fracturing his collarbone. In this week’s main interview, Titanium Man tells us what it was like.

• This is what happened: Weekend results and facts
• News from the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport teams
• Three questions for Daniel Juncadella
• Social media news: What’s new online?

This is what happened: Results and facts

• Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas both make it onto the podium in the Bahrain Grand Prix
• VLN: Adam Christodoulou, Manuel Metzger, Dirk Müller and Maro Engel finish second on the Nordschleife
• Blancpain GT Series: Michael Meadows and Raffaele Marciello are runners-up in Race 2

News snippets

Stat-Attack – Bahrain: Although Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport narrowly missed out on their first win of the 2018 Formula 1 season in Round 2 at the Bahrain International Circuit, the team nonetheless passed some further milestones on the desert track. Lewis Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff completed their 100th Grand Prix with the Brackley-based outfit last weekend.

Lewis staged a magnificent charge through the field from ninth on the grid to finish third and make his 119th Formula 1 podium appearance (the 70th in 100 races with the team). It was also his 27th Top Ten result in a row, beating the previous record set by Kimi Räikkönen. Valtteri meanwhile finished second to claim his 23rd Grand Prix podium and 14th with the team.

China, here we come: No time to relax! Just one week after the Bahrain Grand Prix, the third round of the 2018 Formula 1 season is due to take place at the Shanghai International Circuit in China. Lewis is very much looking forward to the Chinese Grand Prix – after all, he is assured of his customary euphoric reception from the Chinese fans. But also in sporting terms, this particular track on the outskirts of Shanghai has always been a happy hunting ground for the reigning world champion. 

In eleven races there, he has scored five victories, six pole positions, six fastest race laps and eight podium finishes. Since 2014, the winner has consistently been a Silver Arrows driver: three times Lewis and once Nico Rosberg. That first Grand Prix victory for the German ex‑c hampion in Shanghai in 2012 was also the first for Mercedes since it was reconstituted as a works team. Incidentally, the sixth anniversary of that win falls on the same date this year – 15th April.

New season, new paint jobs: To coincide with the DTM tests at Hockenheim this week (9th - 12th April), the last before the start of the season, the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM Team unveiled the new designs of the six Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM cars in which the driver sextet will be competing during the imminent 2018 DTM season.

Successful weekend for the Mercedes-AMG GT3: In the second VLN race of the season last weekend, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 had its first podium finish. Adam Christodoulou (GBR), Manuel Metzger, Dirk Müller and Maro Engel (all GER) of Mercedes-AMG Team BLACK FALCON were runners-up in the general classification on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. No fewer than four Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars came home in the Top Ten, thus making it a successful dress rehearsal for the 24-hour race on the weekend of 10th - 13th May.

At the Circuit Zolder in Belgium, there was another second place for the Mercedes-AMG GT3. In the opening round of the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup, Michael Meadows (GBR) and Raffaele Marciello (ITA) of AKKA ASP made their podium appearance in the second race. Felix Serralles (PUR) and Nicolas Jamin (FRA) in the sister car were only two seconds short of joining them and had to settle for fourth place.

Mercedes-AMG monopolised one of the podium ceremonies in the 3 Ore Endurance Champions Cup at Mugello in Italy. Stefano Pezzucchi, Marco Zanuttini and Mario Cordoni (all ITA) driving a Krypton Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 finished second in the general classification and first in their class. Customer racing team MDC Sports came second with a Mercedes-AMG GT3 and third with an SLS AMG GT3, making it a class podium lock-out for Mercedes.

In the season opener of the Super GT Series at the Okayama International Circuit in Japan, three customer racing teams finished in the Top Ten – LEON RACING (4th place), GOODSMILE RACING (8th place) and Arnage Racing (10th place).

Mercedes-AMG GT4 as class winner: Following its maiden victory in the first VLN race of 2018, the new Customer Racing car has had further success on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. In the second race of the season, the Mercedes-AMG GT4 driven by Stefan Karg, Fidel Leib and Moritz Oberheim (all GER) finished second in the SP10 class. Another car based on the Mercedes-AMG GT4 and crewed by Patrick Simon, Christian Gebhardt, Bernd Schneider (all GER) and Jethro Bovingdon (GBR) won the SP8T class.

Meanwhile, the 2018 GT4 European Series and Belcar Endurance Championship were getting underway at Zolder. In the 60-minute sprint races of the GT4 European Series, the Selleslagh Racing Team registered the best result with a class victory. In the 125‑minute race of the Belcar Endurance Championship, the QSR Racing School duo of Jimmy de Breuker and Yannick Hoogaers (both BEL) won their class.

Three questions for Daniel Juncadella

Daniel, you drove a DTM car on Tuesday for the first time since your injury. How did it feel?

Daniel Juncadella: It was a very special situation for me. I knew I could move my arm before then, but Monday was the first time I had sat in the car and got strapped in. That was when I realised just how tight it is in the cockpit. After that, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to drive on Tuesday. But after the first run, I concluded that we only needed a few adjustments to the steering wheel and seat. 

On the second run, I was already feeling OK. When I got out of the car, I saw that I was in second place at that time, only three tenths behind Gary. That came as a big surprise for me, because although I felt good in the car, I expected the injury to put me well down on the timesheets. After all, I have to make more use of my right arm on the right-hand turns, and here in Hockenheim, there are quite a few of those.

In the team, you’ve already acquired the affectionate nickname ‘Titanium Man’. How do you react to that?

Daniel Juncadella: Well of course, I now have quite a sizeable chunk of titanium inside me. Maybe I will post some pictures in the next few days day to prove it. But seriously, it was a very special day for me. It was a feeling similar to some of the biggest successes in my career. At the beginning of the afternoon, it was a bit harder for me, but all in all, everything went really well and I was able to complete 121 laps.

How did the car feel?

Daniel Juncadella: It was good. The team had made a few changes from the first day of testing on Monday, so the setup was very neat right from the start. We tried some things in the morning that had a beneficial effect. In the afternoon, we concentrated on racing simulations. It was the first race simulation for me with the new tyre compound that I tested two years ago. That also went very well, and I think I was competitive. Overall, it was a perfect day for me. I couldn’t have wished for a better one.

Source: Daimler