DTM Norisring 2012: Thriller of a race, final lap, final corner - Jamie Green wins

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Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) won the fifth DTM race of the 2012 season in Nuremberg by a margin of 0.687 seconds, after overtaking Martin Tomczyk (BMW) in spectacular style on the latest corner at the final lap. This was Green’s eighth victory in his DTM career and his fourth at the Norisring, i.e. half of his winner’s trophies have been collected at this one venue (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012). It was also the Englishman’s 19th podium in 79 DTM outings.

The Norisring fixture has proved to be the most productive on the race calendar for Mercedes-Benz. Green’s latest win was also the 15th for Mercedes on this street circuit in Nuremberg and the tenth in succession. Since the DTM series was revived in the year 2000, Mercedes-Benz drivers have won twelve out of 14 races staged at the Norisring (a win rate of 85.71%). Furthermore, Mercedes-Benz has now won 168 DTM races since first fielding a works team in 1988.

By finishing fourth, Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) has boosted his championship points tally to 95 and further consolidated his lead in the standings to 26 points ahead of second-placed Jamie Green. Paffett’s THOMAS SABO / Mercedes-Benz Bank outfit leads the team standings on 119 points, while Mercedes-Benz tops the constructors’ standings on 211 points.

A total of five C-Coupé drivers finished in the Top 10; apart from Green and Paffett, David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé) and Robert Wickens (stern AMG Mercedes C-Coupé) secured positions five, eight and nine respectively. Coulthard and Wickens achieved their best ever result so far in the DTM.

Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) was 13th, Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) did not finish.

Jamie Green produced the fastest race lap, 54.451 seconds. For race winner Green, this was the 13th fastest lap in his DTM career and his third this season. Since 1988, Mercedes-Benz drivers have posted the fastest lap in some 165 races, including 16 at the Norisring.

Overall,135.000 fans attended the DTM race weekend in Nuremberg (Fri, Sat, Sun).

Race summary

The start: The race begins on a wet track with two installation laps. Gary Paffett defends his pole position at the start but spins as a result of being rear-ended in a chain reaction going into the first turn and drops down the field to P22. Ralf Schumacher benefits from the situation and takes the lead. The safety car is out.
Lap 3: The safety car comes into the pits. Schumacher leads the race at the re-start. Jamie Green in P4, Christian Vietoris P5.
Lap 5: David Coulthard moves up into seventh position.
Lap 12: Schumacher extends his lead to 1.3 seconds. Paffett battles his way up the field into P15.
Lap 15: Paffett in P14 posts fastest lap so far.
Lap 17: Schumacher drops down to fourth place. Green moves up to third.
Lap 19: Susie Wolff is rear-ended by Adrien Tambay (Audi) and spins. She subsequently retires to the pits. Tambay is given a drive-through penalty for causing a collision that could have been avoided.
Lap 21: The pit stop window is now open.
Lap 23: Paffett goes up into tenth place and is now back in a points-scoring position.
Lap 28: Six C-Coupé drivers in the Top Ten - Green, Schumacher, Vietoris, Coulthard, Wickens and Paffett.
Lap 30: Lap 30: First mandatory pit stop for Vietoris.
Lap 32: Roberto Merhi, Green and Wickens come in for their first pit stop.
Lap 35: Coulthard pits from P7 to change tyres.
Lap 36: Edoardo Mortara (Audi) causes Merhi to spin.
Lap 40: Schumacher comes in for his first mandatory pit stop. Paffett now leads.
Lap 45: Schumacher has to retire in the pits.
Lap 53: Second mandatory pit stop for Green.
Lap 56: Paffett pits from lead position for his first mandatory stop.
Lap 58: Paffett overtakes Vietoris and moves into P2.
Lap 59: Vietoris pits for a second time to change to dry tyres. Wickens also comes in for his last set of tyres.
Lap 61: Coulthard and Paffett change tyres for second time. Paffett reemerges behind Green in P4.
Lap 75: Green overtakes Bruno Spengler (BMW) and is in second place.
Final lap: Jamie Green overtakes Martin Tomczyk (BMW) at the final turn and after 78 laps and a total distance of 179.400 kilometres wins the fifth race of the season at the Norisring. Gary Paffett comes home fourth just ahead of David Coulthard.

Comments after the race:

Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Winner:
„My tyres were giving excellent grip on the last ten laps and my pace was very strong. My Mercedes AMG C-Coupé was running superbly, and I was grinning from ear to ear on those last few laps. At the end of an amazingly exciting race, I capped it all off by overtaking Bruno Spengler and Martin Tomczyk. I am absolutely delighted about this win. It’s my fourth on this track and also the tenth on the trot for Mercedes-Benz at the Norisring. So a fantastic day all round.“

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Fourth:
„Congratulations to Jamie and Mercedes-Benz on their victory in this action-packed race. I got off to a good start but was rear-ended and so fell right back down the field. I was able to battle my way up into fourth place during the race which was brilliant, especially since I have now extended my lead in the championship.“

David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Fifth:
„Fifth place is a decent result for me. The fastest driver wins at this track and that was unfortunately not me today but nevertheless, I would like to congratulate Jamie on his fourth win at this circuit! That was truly an outstanding performance! As a team too, we achieved good results overall, especially in view of the difficult conditions.“

Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), Eighth:
„I had a good race today, though the second pit stop was not brilliant. We took a bit of a risk and switched to slicks. Unfortunately, the rain came down harder after that, but the decision was the right one because if the rain had held off, then the strategy would have worked well.“

Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Ninth:
„I am immensely pleased to have scored my first DTM points. For a time, I was actually running fifth in the race, but then my tyres started to degrade and I dropped back to ninth. Even so, I’m very happy with my best DTM result to date, and I’m optimistic that further points will follow during the rest of this season.“

Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 13th:
„Today’s race was totally mad and the conditions were very tricky for everyone. I got away well at the start but unfortunately was hit by another driver subsequently during the race. I'm now looking forward to the show event in Munich’s Olympic Stadium which should be terrific for both drivers and spectators.“

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:
„What a pity, since the race began really well for me. I was in the lead, had a very good race pace and maintained P1 despite the tricky conditions here at the Norisring. Unfortunately, we had a technical problem and I had to retire – that can happen. An excellent result was a distinct possibility today, though.“

Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:
„Unfortunately, my race came to an early end. I sustained damage to the front axle, right-side. An Audi driver then made me spin. I'm obviously very disappointed because a better result was on the cards, both in qualifying and in the race itself.“

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
„What a thriller – final lap, final corner, and Jamie Green finally nails it, victory! It’s the fourth time that Jamie has won here and the tenth consecutive year for our team, giving us twelve wins from the last 14 events.

„The race started in the rain without a safety car, as I had feared, leading to a traffic jam on the first hairpin and a BMW driver who caused a chain reaction that saw the best-placed Audi, driven by Mattias Ekström, exiting the race and the race leader and championship leader Gary Paffett sent into a spin and consequently falling back to the very rear of the field. That Gary then still went on to finish fourth just shows his spectacular speed.

„And Jamie had plenty of pace! What a stunning drive, especially on the last ten laps of what is our tenth victory in a row.

„Ralf Schumacher was a prime candidate for a win until problems with electrics slowed him down. David Coulthard went up from P14 to 5, and we had five Mercedes AMG Coupés in the top nine places at the finish.

„I would like to thank everyone in the crew; they have all worked really well and cut the mustard in fine style against strong opposition from BMW and Audi.

„We’ll be doing a little celebrating tonight. We all deserve it.“

Race: Top Ten

* Official photos and details courtesy of Mercedes-AMG GmbH *

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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DTM Norisring 2012: Qualifying - Gary Paffett scores 111th DTM pole for Mercedes-Benz

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Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) will start Sunday’s fifth round of the DTM in Nuremberg from pole position (beginning at: 13:30, live on ARD from 13:15). The British driver set a time of 49.139 seconds in the individual time trial at the end of qualifying. It is his tenth DTM pole and his first at this track. Since 1988, Mercedes-Benz has achieved 14 pole positions at the Nuremberg street circuit. A Mercedes has been on pole in six of the last seven races at the Norisring.

Overall, this is the 111th time that a Mercedes-Benz driver will start from pole position in the DTM, in the 111th anniversary year of the first Mercedes victory during the 1901 Nice Speed Weeks, when Wilhelm Werner won the Nice-Salon-Nice race. Exactly two weeks after the anniversary of that win, MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg achieved the 111th Grand Prix victory for Mercedes in his 111th Formula 1 race at the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix.

After Paffett and Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé) started first and second at Brands Hatch earlier in the season, this is the second time in 2012 that two DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupés have qualified on the front row. It is the 66th front row lockout for Mercedes-Benz in the history of the DTM and the third in succession at the Norisring.

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) posted the fifth-fastest lap in Q3 with a time of 49.023 seconds, which means he will start from Row 3. Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé / 49.156 seconds) lines up eighth on the grid.

Qualifying Part 1: Gary Paffett set the fastest time – 48.769 seconds – in first qualifying ahead of team-mate Jamie Green. Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé / 49.248), Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé / 49.348) and Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé / 49.378) will start from positions 17 to 19 respectively on the grid. Just eight-tenths of a second covered all 22 drivers in Q1.

Qualifying Part 2: Jamie Green posted the second fastest time in second qualifying. David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé / 49.130) finished in P14. Less than half a second separated the top 16 drivers in Q2.

Comments on qualifying:

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Pole Position (49.139):
“Pole position for me, the 111th for Mercedes-Benz in the DTM and Jamie starting from P2 – you don’t get many better days than this. At the same time, though, I have to admit that it was very tight out there. I only just made it through to Q4, but my lap wasn’t perfect and every thousandth counts at this track. I’ve finished on the podium in all four races so far this year, and I’d love to continue that run with a third win of the season tomorrow.”

Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Second (49.171):“The Norisring just seems to suit me and our DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé has been running really well. The 111th all-time DTM pole for Mercedes-Benz shows that. I performed strongly in all the qualifying sessions, and the front row is an excellent platform for the race. I think I’m all set up for another good result in tomorrow’s race.”

Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Fifth (49.023):
“P5 is a good result. I can feel well pleased with that, especially in view of how tight the competition is and the tiny margins at the Norisring. I was just 57 thousandths off qualifying in the Top 4. It’s obviously disappointing when you’re so near and yet so far, but starting from fifth on the grid puts me in a good position for the race. This circuit suits my style of driving, and I’m optimistic about improving my position tomorrow.”

Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), Eighth (49.156):
“The Norisring is not one of my favourite circuits, but qualifying nevertheless went well for me. The lap times in all the sessions were very close and it was very difficult to make any improvements in time, especially in Q2 – but that's exactly what I did. Eighth place is a good starting position for Sunday. The race is long and the stress on drivers and cars in this hot conditions is right on the limit of what we can cope with.”

David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 14th (49.130):
“Qualifying at the Norisring was really close this afternoon; I missed going through to Q3 by barely two tenths of a second. I’m expecting an exciting race and hope to move up the field. The race is 83 laps long and it will be important to stay well clear of any trouble and not make any mistakes.”

Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 17th (49.248):
“It’s a shame because 17th place is not the sort of qualifying result that I was looking for. But I was held up in traffic, so unfortunately did not make it through to Q2. We’re in for a really hot race in the truest sense, if the weather is anything like it was today. I’ll make sure I’m well hydrated before the start and then we’ll see. The race is long and anything can happen.”

Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 18th (49.348):
“Unfortunately, I was not fast enough and could not set a better lap time. Of course, I will give everything in the race to make Sunday as exciting as possible for the thousands of fans here at the track. All is not lost yet.”

Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 19th (49.378):
“It’s a pity, there was more to be had today than 19th place. Unfortunately, I was held me up by another driver in the first qualifying session so could not set a proper lap on my last set of tyres. That cost me the chance of a better grid position. I’ll be attacking in the race, though, and aim to fight my way up through the field.”

Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“An all-Mercedes front row at the Norisring – that's pretty cool. We have championship leader Gary Paffett in P1 with Jamie Green in P2, and scored our 111th DTM pole in the 111th anniversary year of Mercedes motorsport. Ralf Schumacher will start from fifth place and Christian Vietoris from P8 , which puts us in a great position for tomorrow’s race. A sound team effort will hopefully see everything come good on Sunday.“

Qualifying: Top 10

* Official photos and details courtesy of Mercedes-AMG GmbH *

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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