DTM: Nürburgring 2017 – Race 1

Nürburgring specialist Lucas Auer (BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) takes his maiden win in the Eifel after securing pole for third time

• Third victory of season for Lucas Auer (BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM)
• Paul Di Resta (Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM, second podium finish of 2017) and Robert Wickens (Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM Mercedes me, third podium finish of 2017) place second and third respectively
• All six Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTMs in the points: Maro Engel (Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) in P4, Edoardo Mortara (BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) P7 and Gary Paffett (Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM Mercedes me) P10
• Lucas Auer: “That was a brutal race: rain, a drying track, then rain again. The whole day was very difficult, but the result is incredible.”
• Ulrich Fritz: “Our strategy was excellent. We kept calm in situations that mattered and made the right decisions.”

Nürburgring specialist Lucas Auer (BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) has struck again, securing his third victory so far this year in the 13th DTM race of the season. He is now in second place in the championship table just one point down on the leader, Mattias Ekström (Audi, 128 points). The Austrian started from pole position in an action-packed, rain-hit race in which Mercedes-AMG Motorsport took a four-way win. This was the 31st victory for the brand at the Nürburgring. After Gary Paffett, Robert Wickens and Edoardo Mortara, Auer is now the fourth driver to win at the Nürburgring in the squad fielded by Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM. Prior to that, Auer, who will be 23 on Monday, secured his fourth fastest qualifying time on the trot at this track in the fifth qualifying session.

Paul Di Resta (Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) and Robert Wickens (Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM Mercedes me) joined Auer on the podium. For Di Resta, this was his second podium finish this season after his victory in Budapest, and for Wickens his third now. Second place also brought Di Resta his 30th podium in the DTM, enabling him to draw level with Manuel Reuter in the list of the most podiums ever achieved.

All six Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM drivers finished in the Top Ten in a race marked by variable weather conditions. Maro Engel (SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) finished fourth behind the three on the podium. Edoardo Mortara (BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) fought his way up from P16 to seventh place, and Gary Paffett (Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM Mercedes me) finished his 160th DTM race in tenth place.

Looking ahead to race 2: The 14th round of the 2017 DTM season starts on Sunday at 15:18 CEST (live on ARD TV at 15:00 CEST). Third practice will take place before that at 09:10 CEST followed by the second qualifying at 12:00 CEST (live on One at 11:55 CEST). During each race weekend, we will provide live timing data, live commentary, fan voting and exclusive behind-the-scenes videos of the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM Team on our website at: www.mercedes-amg-motorsport.com/dtm.

Comments after the race

Lucas Auer (22, Austria):

• P1
• Car number: 22
• Team: BWT Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
• Car: BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

“That was a brutal race: rain, a drying track, then rain again. The whole day was very difficult, but the result is incredible. Congratulations to the entire team – they have done a mega job today. A huge thank-you to everyone who has made this victory possible for me. At times, it was a bit confusing out there, because I emerged from the pits in P4 or P5 and I didn’t quite know what was going on. But that was in the heat of battle. Then, towards the end, I once again found I was getting good pace out of the second set of rain tyres.”

Paul Di Resta (31, Scotland):

• P2
• Car number: 3
• Team: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
• Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

“It was difficult to see where you were, as you’re not getting any updates from the team over the radio. But we had good information before the race when the rain would be coming. I’m extremely happy and this result will give everyone a real lift. A result like today, where we’ve locked out the podium, is fantastic. The car was superb in the wet. Hopefully, we’ll have another good race tomorrow.”

Robert Wickens (28, Canada):

• P3
• Car number: 6
• Team: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes me
• Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM Mercedes me

“That was a confusing race. It was definitely one where I was wishing that I had team radio. I never knew precisely where we were, but I was really fortunate. I was on my in-lap to pit for slicks when it started raining again, so I decided to stay out and hope for the best. It was a stressful moment, but the team did a great job. Strategically, we were fantastic. Not pitting for slicks was absolutely the right thing to do. The races here at the Nürburgring are always crazy.”

Maro Engel (32, Germany):

• P4
• Car number: 63
• Team: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
• Car: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

“What a mega result for the team! I’m highly delighted. A four-way win is just terrific. It was also extremely important for Lucas with regard to the championship. But for me personally too, it was a super race – I moved up from P9 to P4. I had a great car and a brilliant strategy. My thanks go to the whole team. It was superb fun today.”

Edoardo Mortara (30, Italy):

• P7
• Car number: 48
• Team: BWT Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
• Car: BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

“Ultimately, it turned out to be a difficult day for me, but we made the right decisions during the race. This enabled me to move up from P16 on the grid to finish seventh. All things considered, that’s not bad. I could obviously have been better in qualifying, so we need to work on improving this tomorrow.”

Gary Paffett (36, England):

• P10
• Car number: 2
• Team: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes me
• Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM Mercedes me

“Congratulations to all of my team-mates. They all drove a brilliant race. Mine was none too good, unfortunately. We had just really bad luck. We pitted early for slicks, which was the right call, but then it rained again, destroying my race. We got one point in the end but could have won, so I’m really disappointed.”& amp; amp; lt; /p>

Ulrich Fritz, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM:

“What an incredible race! Congratulations to Luggi, Paul, Rob and Maro on taking the top four places, but our best wishes also go especially to everyone in the team. Our strategy was excellent. We kept calm in situations that mattered and made the correct decisions. This was the right way to come back after the weekend in Zandvoort, for sure.”

Race results: Top Ten

Drivers‘ Championship

Manufacturers‘ Championship

Teams‘ Championship

Source : Mercedes.com

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