By: Mercedes-AMG DTM Team
October 12 2016

Mercedes-AMG with home race at Hockenheim. Most successful manufacturer: The eight Mercedes-AMG DTM drivers intend to finish the season on a good note

Second race weekend of the season at Hockenheim: The team kicked off the new DTM year with two podiums: P2 for Robert Wickens in Race 1 and a win for Paul Di Resta in Race 2

Last two races under current rules - 2017 marks the introduction of new regulations and new cars in the DTM

Ulrich Fritz: "Even if we can no longer win the drivers' title, we think it important to inspire the fans again and round off the season with a decent result."

Comments ahead of the DTM races at Hockenheim

Robert Wickens (27, Canada):
Car number: 6
Team: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG (Mercedes-AMG DTM Team HWA)
Car: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"This is going to be a bitter-sweet finale for me. I would have liked to have been in championship contention until the very end, really I would. Unfortunately, Budapest didn't go according to plan, so we'll now do everything we can to achieve a positive result before we head off on our winter break. My goal is to fight for podium places at Hockenheim and finish the season in third place in the overall standings."  

Paul Di Resta (30, Scotland):
Car number: 3
Team: Mercedes-AMG (Mercedes-AMG DTM Team HWA)
Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"I'm looking forward to getting back in the car this weekend. However, I also think it's a bit sad that the season is already over again. We've experienced practically everything this year. Even if we no longer have a chance of winning the title, we want to end the season just as successfully as we started it here at Hockenheim. My goal is to finish on the podium in both races, for sure, and give the team and the fans something to cheer about again. We all deserve it." 

Gary Paffett (35, England):
Car number: 2
Team: EURONICS / FREE MEN'S WORLD Mercedes-AMG
(Mercedes-AMG DTM Team ART)
Car: EURONICS Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"Hockenheim is traditionally the last race weekend of the year. This season has been full of ups and downs as far as I'm concerned. There's been some highlights but also some tough races, such as last time out in Budapest. Now we're off to Hockenheim, where I aim to achieve a great deal to close the season. We've already raced there once this year and did well. I would like to repeat that performance and fight for a place on the podium."  

Lucas Auer (22, Austria):
Car number: 22
Team: BWT Mercedes-AMG (Mercedes-AMG DTM Team Mücke)
Car: BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"The finale in Hockenheim is certainly one of the best events of the season. There's going to be lots of spectators in the stands, and everyone knows that these are the last two races of the year. The track has always suited us in the past, and Mercedes has always been very successful there. We obviously want to repeat that success to round off the season. Overall, it's been a great year for me with three special highlights, the races at the Lausitzring, the Norisring and the Nürburgring. Apart from clinching my first win, I've also gained a lot of experience this season. I've always been competitive and am satisfied with my second DTM year. I aim to build on that in the future."  

Christian Vietoris (27, Germany):
Car number: 8
Team: BWT Mercedes-AMG (Mercedes-AMG DTM Team Mücke)
Car: BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"We're off to the season finale. It's been a terrific year with plenty of ups and downs. In the end, we were quick at all the tracks, and I had a lot of fun. This has been one of my best seasons in the DTM, all in all. Unfortunately, I also had a lot of bad luck, for example, when we were back at the Lausitzring and the Norisring. Being unlucky has lost me loads of points during the course of the year. Overall, I'm satisfied with my performance but would like to win the title next year."  

Maximilian Götz (30, Germany):
Car number: 84
Team: Mercedes-AMG (Mercedes-AMG DTM Team HWA)
Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"It's a great pity that the season is already over once again. If it was up to me, I'd be quite happy to start the next season straightaway. I now intend to try to make the best of things. Perhaps the season will end on a positive note. I had my sights set on a podium at the start of the season, but generally, things didn't go quite as I'd hoped, unfortunately. I had a lot of bad luck and had to retire several times while in a points-scoring position. That hurt! On the other hand, I took fourth place in Moscow in my best DTM result ever. The season was a bit of a restart for me with the change of teams from Mücke to HWA at the beginning of the year, but I quickly settled in."  

Daniel Juncadella (25, Spain):
Car number: 12
Team: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG (Mercedes-AMG DTM Team HWA)
Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"We're already approaching the last weekend of the season. What a pity! The time has really gone quickly, just flown by. The last two or three weekends have been quite successful for me personally, which is why I feel confident as we head to Hockenheim. I'd like to secure the podium there that I lost after the last race. Let's wait and see how the weekend goes. Still, I think that the team and I are in good shape."  

Felix Rosenqvist (24, Sweden):
Car number: 88
Team: EURONICS / FREE MEN'S WORLD Mercedes-AMG
(Mercedes-AMG DTM Team ART)
Car: FREE MEN'S WORLD Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"The Hockenheim finale is definitely my personal highlight of the DTM season. I've now gained a lot of experience and feel ready to fight for my place at the head of the field. It's a terrific event, and Hockenheim is a track where I've already enjoyed a great deal of success in the past."

Ulrich Fritz, Head of Mercedes-AMG DTM:

"The whole team are really looking forward to delivering another strong performance this weekend in Hockenheim. Hockenheim is always a bit special for our team. The atmosphere is really unique, and we get incredible support from our fans in the Mercedes-Benz grandstand. Even if we can no longer win the drivers' title, we think it important to inspire the fans again and round off the season with a decent result."  

Canadians In BOLD