Tales from the paddock – Lucas Auer: “The first half of the season has been incredible”
DTM, Formula 1 and ADAC GT Masters: Lucas Auer has been exceptionally busy during the last few weeks driving ‘Pink Panthers’ < /p>
- This is what happened: Weekend results and facts
- News from the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport teams
- Three questions for Lucas Auer
- Social media news: What’s new online?
This is what happened: Results and facts
- ADAC GT Masters: Lucas Auer and Sebastian Asch win Saturday’s race at the Nürburgring
- ADAC GT Masters: They are joined on the podium by third-placed Luca Ludwig and Luca Stolz
News snippets
World championship-winning Silver Arrow: On Monday 21st August 2017, reigning Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg will personally induct the Formula 1 car in which he won last year’s championship to the Mythos 7: Silberpfeile – Rennen und Rekorde (Legend 7: Silver Arrows – Races and Records) exhibition area of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. A fan event has also been arranged on the open-air stage outside the museum, at which he will meet 500 specially invited motorsport enthusiasts. Those wishing to attend can register at classic@daimler.com with the subject line “Fan event Nico Rosberg”. The victorious car goes on general display from Tuesday 22nd August during normal museum opening hours (Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am to 6 pm).
Pink Panther in permanent demand: Lucas Auer has an exciting week behind him. He flew directly from the DTM race weekend in Moscow to the Formula 1 paddock in Hungary where he spent Tuesday and Wednesday with Sahara Force India, who had invited him to a first ever Formula 1 test. “The Formula 1 experience was great,” said Lucas. “The speed is enormous and the cars have so much downforce. It’s a real challenge, but I feel that I’m learning something new as a racing driver with every new car I drive.” Lucas’ s next motorsport-related engagement came only a few days later at the Nürburgring, where he drove his third different Pink Panther within the space of two weeks. After the BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM and the Sahara Force India VJM10, he was now at the wheel of a BWT Mercedes-AMG GT3 belonging to Mücke Motorsport. And it was definitely worth his while: together with co-driver Sebastian Asch, Lucas registered a maiden ADAC GT Masters victory on only his second outing in the series.
One-two result on debut: The Mercedes-AMG Motorsport family has continued to grow. Last weekend, Xtreme Motorsports and FIST Team AAI entered cars supplied by the Affalterbach-based high-performance brand in the China GT Masters and enjoyed instant success on their series debut. In the first 60-minute race on Saturday at the Shanghai International Circuit, Xtreme Motorsports were the winners in their number 17 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Xu Wie (CHN) and Naoki Yokomizo (JPN) put in a flawless performance to relegate pole-sitters Ollie Millroy (GBR) and Junsan Chen (TWN) in the number 90 Mercedes-AMG GT3 prepared by FIST Team AAI to second place. Millroy and Chen went on to secure pole position in the second race, once again finishing as runners-up.
A third consecutive victory: Oscar Tunjo (COL) has continued his winning ways in the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy (Special Touring Car Trophy – STT). The Colombian was again in a class of his own last weekend, comfortably winning the first race on Saturday at the Nürburgring. This made it three consecutive victories in the general classification and the sixth of the 2017 campaign for the Kornely Motorsport man. Having started from pole position in the number 70 Mercedes-AMG GT3, he did not allow two safety car deployments to knock him off his stride and made it a lights-to-flag win. The South American then came third in Sunday’s race, which equated to another win in Class 1. In both races, Tunjo was followed across the line by team-mate Mario Hirsch (GER) who thus took P2 in the same class. In both races, the second Kornely Motorsport entrant was involved in thrilling wheel-to-wheel action behind the leading group. In Race 1, Hirsch beat off his opponents to cross the finish line as fourth overall. In the second 30-minute race on Sunday, he came sixth.
P2 on the day and leadership of the drivers’ and team standings: After a guest start in the 24 Hours of Spa, GOODSMILE RACING were back in the Super GT again. The Japanese team made a strong showing in the 300km race at the Fuji Speedway (JPN), for which they were rewarded with second place. The number 4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Tatsuya Kataoka and Nobutero Taniguchi (both JPN) started from third on the grid, and that’s the way it stayed until the mandatory pit stop. On the final stint, Taniguchi then pulled off an impressive overtaking manoeuvre to take the car up to second place. This result means that Kataoka and Taniguchi have moved to the top of the drivers’ standings. At the same time, GOODSMILE RACING advanced to P1 in the team championship.
Three questions for Lucas Auer
Lucas, you’re currently the most successful of the Mercedes drivers in the DTM, you recently made your Formula 1 test debut for Sahara Force India, and now you’ve won your first ADAC GT Masters race. So how would you sum up the first half of 2017?
Lucas Auer: The first half of the season has been incredible. I got off to a mega start in the 2017 DTM, which has generally gone really well for me. Then, Force India invited me to do my first Formula 1 test, which also went well. And now I’ve rounded off the first half of the year with a maiden GT victory. The win at the Nürburgring was a super experience. It was a first victory in GT racing for me and for Mücke Motorsport. My connections with the team go back a long way, which is why the win was something special for me. Now I’m looking forward to the second half of the season.
You tend to be highly self-critical. What do you have to work on in the second half of the season?
Lucas Auer: When I look back at the first half of the DTM season, it’s clear to me that I cannot afford another run of three races out of the points. I have to finish in the points every time and be able to automatically raise my standard of performance.
After the eventful last few weeks in the DTM, Formula 1 and ADAC GT Masters, you’re about to start the only summer break you’re going to get prior to the next DTM weekend in Zandvoort. How are you planning to get your breath back?
Lucas Auer: Frankly, I don’t know yet. I’ll sit at home and think about what to do. But I don’t have any plans as such. What matters is that I relax fully in my only race-free week and then come back with a vengeance at Zandvoort.
Social Media News
#RoadToF1: What does it take to make the step up to the highest echelon of motor racing? Our three-part video – ‘ Mission: Budapest’ – tells the story of rising star George Russell.
Watch videos: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FAMzRVFwYA&list=PLbJwtTv097-81uyRqV3B4hzyToDhIiB_H
#SummerBreak: Eleven of the 20 Formula 1 races have now been contested. Before the second half of the season gets underway, we sounded out opinion in the team and asked individual members how they might sum up the first half of the season in just one word.
Watch video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEkfK1XtuEY
#TravelinStyle: In Formula 1, even the tiniest fraction of a second counts. We accompany Valtteri on his journey from Nice to Budapest to find out how NetJets make air travel a smoother experience.
Watch video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK-aIJ0ndSw
#ThoreVisits: In the first part of our new series ‘Thore visits’, Thore is off to Switzerland where he meets up with Edoardo Mortara at his home in picturesque Geneva.
Watch video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd0W3G8z9U4
Source : Mercedes.com
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