The final chapter in the anniversary season: This weekend sees the 30-year DTM history of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport come to an end with a home race for the brand at Hockenheim.
- First DTM race as a works team: 3rd April 1988 at Zolder (P3 for Jörg van Ommen)
- First DTM victory: Dany Snobeck (Nürburgring 1988); first works team winner: Johnny Cecotto (Avus 1988)
- 35 victories for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport make it most successful brand at Hockenheim: four drivers in the current squad of six have already won at Hockenheim, namely Gary Paffett (5 wins), Paul Di Resta, Edoardo Mortara (2 wins each) and Lucas Auer (1 win)
- Paul Di Resta (P1, 229 points) and Gary Paffett (P2, 225 points) are separated by only four points at the top of the drivers’ championship going into the last two races of the season at Hockenheim
- Mercedes-AMG Motorsport has already wrapped up both the manufacturers’ and the team championships before the final weekend even takes place: while the manufacturer’s title is Stuttgart and Affalterbach bound for the seventh time, the team title (number 14) is still up for grabs between three Mercedes-AMG Motorsport outfits
- For more statistics on the track and the brand’s 30-year history in the DTM, see our Race Facts (download here)
- Ulrich Fritz: “At Hockenheim we have the chance to conclude this magnificent chapter in our motor racing history by scooping all three titles”
Comments on the DTM races at Hockenheim
Paul Di Resta (32, Scotland):
- Car number: 3
- Team: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport REMUS
- Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
“This is it. The finale is already approaching. It’s kind of sad to think that this is our last race weekend as a team, but all these stories come to an end. It has been great to be a member of the family and to go into this last round of the title fight leading the championship. We have a great chance of winning this, and we have to keep up the good work. We need to stay focused and try to get this across the line. I will be giving everything I can, and I look forward to having a fair fight with my championship rivals. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for the experiences that I have had as part of this family. Who knows what the journey ahead brings? But hopefully some good times on Sunday night when we celebrate together in style.”
Gary Paffett (37, England):
- Car number: 2
- Team: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport PETRONAS
- Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
“I’m really looking forward to the upcoming race weekend, although I obviously have mixed feelings, as it’s the last race weekend of the season, which is always a strange feeling, but mostly because it’s the last race weekend for Mercedes in the DTM, which also ends my 15 years with Mercedes in the series. It’s a massive weekend for everybody, and it will be very emotional come Sunday when the chequered flag falls. Obviously, there is the championship battle going on. I’m firmly in the fight for the championship with Paul and also René. There is nothing to separate me and Paul, and based on recent performances, I think it is going to be a close fight between us. The most important thing going into the weekend is that we try and get the championship for Mercedes. Hopefully I am the one that can come out on top on Sunday. It’s going to be an intense weekend for everyone in the team, including myself, but I am really looking forward to it. Hockenheim is a circuit that we know really well, a circuit that our car goes well on, and a circuit that I have already won at this year. So, I am very confident that I can go there and be strong, and that I have a very good chance of winning the championship.”
Edoardo Mortara (31, Italy):
- Car number: 48
- Team: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
- Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
“Hockenheim is the last race of the season and probably also my last race in the DTM. You should never say never, but right now it looks very much like it. That’s why I want to do well at Hockenheim, on a track where I’ve always been pretty successful. But we all know that making forecasts in the DTM is very difficult. Understandably, the focus this weekend will be on Gary and Paul, and I hope it all works out well for Mercedes. Hopefully, we will all be celebrating together on Sunday.”
Lucas Auer (24, Austria):
- Car number: 22
- Team: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
- Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
“I’m looking forward to these last two races of the season at Hockenheim. Everyone knows the track inside out, and I’m really curious to find out how the balance of power looks compared to the season opener on the same track. But for me, the anticipation of the grand finale predominates. For now, though, I want to really put my foot down, deliver some awesome racing and round off the season in a cool way.”
Pascal Wehrlein (23, Germany):
- Car number: 94
- Team: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport PETRONAS
- Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
“It’s hard to believe that we’re going back to Hockenheim already and that the season is almost over. In the grand finale, I will be going all out to end the season on a high. The two races at Hockenheim will not just be the last two races for Mercedes in the DTM but also my last two races as a Mercedes driver. That makes me all the more determined to take my leave of the Mercedes family and the many fans at the track with two good results. I’m sure it will be a very emotional moment for me on Sunday when I cross the finish line with a Mercedes star on my car for the last time.”
Daniel Juncadella (27, Spain):
- Car number: 23
- Team: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport REMUS
- Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
“Hockenheim is a very special race weekend, in particular for Mercedes. These are the last two DTM races for the brand, and it means a lot to me to have been part of their DTM history. I’m training very hard and focusing fully on the weekend. It’s one of the highlights of the season and will certainly be a very emotional occasion. I’m ready for the contest and will do my best.”
Ulrich Fritz, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM:
“It’s amazing how fast the last few months have gone by, and suddenly here we are, facing our last DTM race weekend. At Hockenheim we have the chance to conclude this magnificent chapter in our motor racing history by scooping all three titles. We already wrapped up the manufacturers’ and team championships at Spielberg. However, René Rast has become a real threat to Gary and Paul in the last few races, so that we can expect a battle royal for the drivers’ title at Hockenheim. Having seen how focused our team have been in their preparations for the final race, I am firmly convinced that we can also bring home the third title.”
Press release Mercedes-AMG
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