The second half of the 2018 DTM season will start with a major challenge: Drivers will line up for the first time on the Brands Hatch grand-prix circuit
- Brands Hatch debut: 2 July 2006 (double podium with Jamie Green and Bernd Schneider)
- First win at Brands Hatch: 10 June 2007 (Bernd Schneider)
- The DTM was held eight times on the Indy track layout at Brands Hatch from 2006 to 2013. Racing will take place on the 3.908km GP circuit for the first time this year.
- Mercedes-AMG Motorsport have achieved four wins so far at Brands Hatch – Paul Di Resta (2009, 2010) and Gary Paffett (2012) have both won their home fixture in the UK
- Mercedes-AMG Motorsport lead the drivers’, constructors’ and team championships at the start of the season second half
- For more statistics on the track and the brand’s 30-year history in the DTM, see our Race Facts (download here)
- Ulrich Fritz: “Of course, it’s always great to have a new circuit on the calendar, but the risk of making a mistake with setup is also much higher”
Comments on the DTM races at Brands Hatch
Gary Paffett (37, England):
- Car number: 2
- Team: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport PETRONAS
- Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
“Brands Hatch will be a tough weekend. It’s a home race for me, but I’ve not driven there very often in the past, and that applies to the other drivers in the field. It’s going to be a big challenge, as we won’t be having Friday practice and don’t know the circuit all that well. After all, we’ve never driven DTM cars on the grand-prix circuit before. It’s going to be tough, but I’m confident that the car will be excellent. I must now focus on getting the best out of myself and the car. I’m really looking forward to it. Hopefully, we can get some good results”
Paul Di Resta (32, Scotland):
- Car number: 3
- Team: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport REMUS
- Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
“We’re back now after the summer break, and I’m looking forward to contesting my home race at Brands Hatch in front of family and friends. My double podium at Zandvoort came at a critical stage in the championship. I’m well in contention at this mid-point in the season. We’ve got a good package, excellent team spirit, and I hope I can have two successful races at Brands Hatch and continue on form to the end of the season. I’m enjoying the battle with Gary. We had a very fair scrap for the title in 2010, and we’ll see pretty soon how the fight turns out this time!”
Edoardo Mortara (31, Italy):
- Car number: 48
- Team: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
- Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
“It’s been quite a while since the DTM was last at Brands Hatch, but I’m looking forward to racing there again. The last time was in 2013, but up until now, I’ve only ever raced on the short track configuration. Of course, I can’t wait to try out the longer version now, because everyone who has already driven on it says that it’s sensational. Zandvoort before the summer break didn’t turn out as I would have wished, but I know that we’ve got a competitive car. I hope to be more in contention again this weekend.”
Lucas Auer (23, Austria):
- Car number: 22
- Team: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
- Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
“I’m really looking forward to the Brands Hatch race weekend. I don’t yet know the long track layout but have already raced on the short version. It’s where I won the Formula 3 European Championship. I’m interested now to see what the long track version is like.”
Pascal Wehrlein (23, Germany):
- Car number: 94
- Team: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport PETRONAS
- Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
“We’re off to Brands Hatch now after the summer break. I’ve raced on the short track before, but the long version is much more demanding and has some really fast corners. I’m really looking forward to getting acquainted with this historic circuit.”
Daniel Juncadella (27, Spain):
- Car number: 23
- Team: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport REMUS
- Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
“Brands Hatch is one of my favourite tracks on the DTM race calendar. This year, we’ll be racing for the first time on the longer track that I already know from the Blancpain GT series. The Indy version is a bit too short for my liking, but the longer version is great, a bit like Zandvoort. There are no tarmac run-off areas, which should make racing more fun for us, but also more difficult. The circuit will be really challenging for all of us. I’m really looking forward to it. Hopefully, we can take the momentum from the first half of the season into the upcoming race weekend.”& amp; amp; lt; /p>
Ulrich Fritz, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM:
“Brands Hatch is the first real unknown for us this year. Of course, it’s always great to have a new circuit on the calendar, but the risk of making a mistake with setup is also much higher. So far this season, our team have always been able to provide the drivers with a car, with which they could fight for the race win. And so, I’ve got every confidence in our guys that they’ll do a great job again in England. Still, it’s also very obvious that the gap between brands will narrow considerably in the second half of the year. We saw Audi get back up to speed recently at Zandvoort, and we’ve had some hard-fought battles with BMW all season. At any rate, we must not ease up, otherwise, our lead will very quickly disappear.”
Press release Mercedes-AMG
