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In his 90th DTM race, DTM championship leader Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) was placed second in the eighth race of the DTM season at Oschersleben. For Paffett, this was the 30th podium of his DTM career and his third at Oschersleben. Team-mate Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) secured third place and his 20th podium in the DTM. The race was won by Bruno Spengler (BMW). Overall, this was the 488th podium for Mercedes-Benz in 351 races since 1988 and the eighth podium of the 2012 season.
Gary Paffett leads the DTM drivers' standings with 127 points and is eleven points ahead of Bruno Spengler (BMW / 116 points). Jamie Green is in third place on 108 points. Team THOMAS SABO / Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG leads the team standings with 151 points. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Mercedes-Benz heads the rankings with 295 points.
Canadian driver Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) in seventh position produced his best DTM result so far since the previous race at Zandvoort. Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) finished the race in positions twelve, thirteen and fourteen respectively. Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Coupé) and David Coulthard (DHL Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) did not finish.
Roberto Merhi posted a 1:22.752, the fastest of the 51 laps. It was the first fastest lap of the Spanish driver's DTM career. Since 1988, Mercedes-Benz drivers have achieved fastest laps in a total of 167 races, including six at Oschersleben.
The eighth race of the season at Oschersleben was the 140th race of the ‘new’ DTM since 2000. During these twelve and a half years, Mercedes-Benz has secured 81 wins, 62 pole positions and 83 fastest race laps.
A total of 71,000 fans attended the DTM race weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) at Oschersleben.
Race summary
The start: Jamie Green and Gary Paffett are second and third at the start of the race. Robert Wickens moves up six places to seventh, Christian Vietoris goes up the field from P16 to P12.
Lap 2: David Coulthard retires in the pits.
Lap 10: Paffett is in second place, two seconds down on leader Bruno Spengler (BMW). Green is third, Wickens seventh and Vietoris tenth.
Lap 13: The pit stop window is now open. Green and Susie Wolff come in for their first change of tyres.
Lap 14: First pit stop for Ralf Schumacher.
Lap 15: Paffett in second place comes in for first pit stop.
Lap 16: Wickens comes into the pits for the first time.
Lap 17: Roberto Merhi also makes his first pit stop and comes away with fresh rubber.
Lap 21: Vietoris makes first mandatory pit stop.
Lap 27: Second change of tyres for Green.
Lap 28: Wickens comes in for second time.
Lap 29: Paffett in the lead makes final mandatory pit stop.
Lap 31: Second pit stop for Vietoris.
Lap 32: Final mandatory pit stop for Ralf Schumacher.
Lap 34: Second set of fresh tyres for Merhi.
Lap 35: Paffett, Green and Wickens are in positions two, three and seven respectively after the two mandatory pit stops.
Final lap (lap 51): After 51 laps and a total race distance of 188.496km, Gary Paffett and Jamie Green crossed the finish line in second and third place. Robert Wickens was seventh.
Comments after the race:
Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Second:
„My C-Coupé was, as expected, very fast in the race today and we had a shot at victory. Bruno Spengler, however, also drove well and with no mistakes. I would, of course, like to have won in Oschersleben, nevertheless I have defended my lead in the championship with second place. Quite apart from that, it's nice to be on the podium for the 30th time in my 90th DTM race. I'm currently eleven points ahead of Bruno with the last two races of the season in Valencia and Hockenheim still to come and am optimistic for the next race in Spain.“
Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Third:
„This is my 20th podium in the DTM and I am very proud of that fact. The race was not easy for me. My pace was not quite good enough to scrap with front-runners Bruno Spengler and Gary for the win. But during the race, my car’s speed kept coming and I achieved my third podium finish of the season.“
Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Seventh:
„After my best-ever DTM result in Zandvoort, I also anticipated a finish in the points at the Oschersleben weekend, so I'm very happy with seventh place. I had a very good start and was able to move up six places in the first corner. It was like a dream come true. My stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé was very fast. I hope to achieve a similarly good result during my next race in Valencia.“
Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), Twelfth:
„I hoped for a good finish in the points today after a great start from P16 on the grid. Overtaking at Oschersleben is difficult though, and, despite all efforts, I could move no further forward than twelfth. Now I'm looking forward to Valencia and hope to achieve a better result there.“
Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 13th:
„My race went wrong in the first turn. After that, I tried to make up as many places as possible in the race, but my pace was not fast enough. It could be that my car was damaged at the start and that’s why I couldn't post faster lap times. I will now have a look at the data with the team’s engineers.“
Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 14th:
„I found the race very tricky. I got off to a bad start and then pushed hard to gain some places, but, unfortunately, I didn't have enough grip with my first set of tyres. The second set of rubber was much better and I was able to demonstrate my car's good pace towards the end of the race. My first fastest lap in a DTM race shows that I could have achieved a better result with my Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé and has given me extra motivation for my upcoming home race in Valencia.“
Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:
„That was a very tough weekend for me, unfortunately. After a disappointing qualifying session, things did not get much better in the race. I had trouble with the suspension after making contact with another car, and so my race was over. There are two races still to come, and I would like to finish the season with two decent results.“
David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), retired:
„Unfortunately, my race was over before it had really begun. Another car hit my off-side rear wheel at the start – after that it was undriveable. This is obviously a disappointment, but now I must put this weekend in Oschersleben behind me and look forward to Valencia, where I was very quick last year.“
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
„Today’s race was one or two laps too short for Gary and so the championship remains a thriller to the very end – exciting and open-ended. At the start of the season, neither Gary nor I could have imagined a more gripping scenario with Gary taking an eleven-point lead into the last two races of the year. His lead is not huge, but it is better than a deficit of similar size.
„There are two races yet to be run and of the three drivers who still have title chances, two drive for Mercedes. We continue to lead in all three championship categories as we have done since the first race in Hockenheim and we will all work hard as a team to defend the status quo until after the last race at Hockenheim.“* Official photos and report courtesy of Mercedes-AMG GmbH * Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.
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On Sunday in the eighth DTM race of the season at Oschersleben (live at 13.45pm on ARD television), Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) is in second place on the grid in the 140th race since 2000 of the ‘new’ DTM. In the time trial at the end of the qualifying session, the British driver posted a 1:21.002 – just 0.086 seconds down on Bruno Spengler's pole time (BMW / 1:20.916). Sunday at Oschersleben marks the championship leader’s 90th race in the most popular touring car series in the world.Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), placed second in the championship, posted a 1:21.226, the third best time in Q4 and will be directly behind team-mate Paffett on the second row of the grid.
The new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé will be on the front row of the grid for the seventh time in the eighth race of the 2012 season. At Brands Hatch and Nuremberg, Paffett and Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), and Paffett and Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) achieved a double pole each. In 351 DTM races, Mercedes-Benz drivers have been in first or second place on the grid a total of 222 times.
Qualifying Part 1: Jamie Green secured the second fastest time Р1:21.042 minutes Рin the first qualifying segment. Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coup̩ / 1:22.026), David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coup̩ / 1:22.169) and Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coup̩) finished in P19, 21 and 22 respectively. Just seven tenths of a second covered the top 16 drivers.
Qualifying Part 2: Jamie Green again posted the second fastest time in the second part of qualifying. Gary Paffett was third. Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) secured a 1:21.157, exactly the same lap time as Mike Rockenfeller (Audi), who, however, posted his lap time before Schumacher and so progressed into the third part of qualifying. Schumacher will start from eleventh place on the grid in Sunday’s race. Robert Wickens (stern AMG Mercedes C-Coupé / 1:21.176) finished in P13 and Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé / 1:21.583) came home in P16.
Comments on qualifying:
Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Second (1:21.002):
„That was a superb, exciting qualifying, and after a tough race weekend at Zandvoort, I’m very pleased to be on the front row tomorrow in my 90th DTM race. Many thanks to the team – the guys did a great job with the setup and preparation of my THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé. I missed pole position by barely a tenth of a second. We have a very fast car, and I am highly motivated and will do everything tomorrow to secure my third win in Oschersleben and extend my lead in the championship.“
Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Third (1:21.226):
„We had a hard-fought qualifying session today. My lap times in Q2 and Q3 were very good, but unfortunately, I was unable to post a perfect lap in the final part of qualifying. The track in Oschersleben is very demanding on cars, but our Mercedes AMG C-Coupé is absolutely brilliant here. With grid positions two and three, Gary and I have an excellent platform for tomorrow's race.“
Ralf Schumacher (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), Eleventh (1:21.157):
„I posted the same lap time as Mike Rockenfeller in the second part of qualifying, but unfortunately, he secured his time a little before me and so he progressed into Q3. That’s obviously maddening for me, but tomorrow's race is long and all is not lost from eleventh position on the grid and there’s still plenty to play for.“
Robert Wickens (stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 13th (1:21.176):
„It was nice, to see my name so far up the time sheets in the first part of qualifying. In Q2, though, the other drivers upped their game and were able to post faster times. Unfortunately, my improvement was not sufficient to move on into Q3. Consequently, 13th position on the grid was the maximum for me in this tough qualifying session.“
Christian Vietoris (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé), 16th (1:21.583):
„A fair to middling qualifying for me. My C-Coupé felt very good in practice, but the speed somehow disappeared in between second practice and qualifying. I hope that I can find my pace again before the race, and then I can still move up the field, even from 16th place on the grid.“
Roberto Merhi (Junge Sterne Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 19th (1:22.026):
„Unfortunately, qualifying was disappointing for me. I ended up collecting some bits just as I was leaving the pit lane for the first time right at the start of Q1 – my mechanics were brilliant but we lost valuable time. After that, I was unable to achieve a good lap time, but tomorrow is another day and I will be going all out to mount an attack from 19th position on the grid.“
David Coulthard (DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 21st (1:22.169):
„Practice here at Oschersleben went pretty well, and I did my best in qualifying to secure a good position on the grid for the race. Unfortunately, it was not to be. As usual in the DTM, we were very tightly bunched since the gaps between drivers are generally small and I only missed progressing into the second part of qualifying by four tenths. Now in the race, I’ll push hard to move up the field, which I managed quite well in the very first lap at the last race in Zandvoort.“
Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé), 22nd (1:22.422):
„I had intended doing more in qualifying at Oschersleben. Unfortunately, we were not quick enough today. I posted six laps in a row in qualifying, which did not pay off in the end. We can expect a tough race tomorrow, but I will do my level best to improve my position as much as possible.“
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
„Second place for Gary and third position for Jamie constitute a good platform for us. Championship leader Paffett was just 0.086 seconds off securing pole, which shows just how tight racing is in the DTM. Previously, in Q2, 0.019 seconds covered the four cars in the drop zone, from P10 to P13 – it just does not get any closer.
„In the third-to-last race tomorrow, the top three in the championship are in grid positions one, two and three – a proper showdown, the likes of which you can only dream about. Well, that’s what I think.“* Official photos and report courtesy of Mercedes-AMG GmbH * Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.
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• Mercedes-Benz has won five times at Oschersleben since 2000
• Gary Paffett and Jamie Green are first and second in the championship; THOMAS SABO / Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG and Mercedes AMG occupy the top two positions in the team standings; and Mercedes-Benz leads the manufacturers’ championship
• There have been 13 DTM races at the 3.696km Oschersleben circuit since the DTM’s debut there in 2000. The race distance is 51 laps or 188.496 km. The pit stop window is open between laps 13 and 39Comments prior to the eighth race of the season at Oschersleben
Gary Paffett (31, England, THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Coupé):
- leads the drivers’ standings in the DTM with 109 points
- won in 2005 and 2007 at Oschersleben
“The fans can look forward to another exciting race at Oschersleben. The circuit is very tough on the cars and drivers. Track characteristics are similar to Zandvoort – there aren’t many straights where you can rest and the kerbs are very high, plus you have to use them in just the right way to achieve a fast lap time. My THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé had very good pace at Zandvoort, and, barring incidents, we should be able to achieve a good result at Oschersleben. We raced in the wet here last year, but we’ll have to wait and see what the weather has in store for us this weekend.”
Jamie Green (30, England, Mercedes AMG C-Coupé):
- lies second in the championship on 93 points
- posted the fastest lap at Oschersleben in 2007 and finished on the podium in 2005 and 2006
“We made the best of a tricky race in Zandvoort, and I’m second in the championship behind Gary with three races still to go. In the past, I’ve had two third-place podium finishes at Oschersleben and would love to get another podium this weekend – and maybe even my first win at this circuit. As is so often the case, qualifying is especially important at Oschersleben. But as Gary and I showed in Zandvoort, you can still climb through the field on Sunday if your race pace is good.”
Christian Vietoris (23, Germany, Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé):
- secured his first DTM points at Oschersleben in 2011
- won twice in 2006 in Formula BMW and once in 2009 in the Formula 3 Euro Series at Oschersleben
“Oschersleben is a great track and I know it inside out, since I competed here lots of times during my days in Formula 3. Basically, the circuit is quite slow compared to others on the calendar and most of the corners are taken in first or second gear. You need a car that has good traction and is stable through the slow corners. And then you have to be sure to do well in qualifying. Last year, I ran a good race in difficult conditions and collected my first DTM points with fifth place, so I’m returning to Oschersleben with fond memories.”
David Coulthard (41, Scotland, DHL Paket Mercedes AMG C-Coupé):
- moved into the Top Ten last year here in Oschersleben
“It’s my third visit to Oschersleben with the DTM. I now know all about the track’s specific characteristics and what it takes to achieve a good result at this tricky circuit. The main thing is to qualify well and that’s an area where I need to improve. The team and I have been working on just that since the last race. In Zandvoort, I climbed nine positions during the first lap to P13, and at Oschersleben I will be pushing hard to secure a decent result for all our fans in the stands and watching on TV at home.”
Ralf Schumacher (37, Germany, Mercedes AMG C-Coupé):
- finished in the Top Ten for the first time in his second DTM race in 2008 at Oschersleben
“Oschersleben is a very tough circuit and the corners are particularly challenging, but I have fond memories of this track where I secured my first top ten result in my second DTM race in 2008. Racing in Oschersleben is never dull. There are always plenty of fans at the track who come to wish us luck and cheer us on loudly. As has been the case for the last couple of races this season, ticket sales for the Oschersleben weekend look very promising and show that the DTM is growing in popularity. After my tenth place in Zandvoort, I want to score another good result for the fans at Oschersleben.”
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“Oschersleben has been an integral part of the calendar since the advent of the ‘new’ DTM in 2000. Next weekend will mark the 140th race start for Mercedes-Benz in this new DTM. So far, we have scored 81 wins in 139 races, which means that Mercedes has won over 58 percent of all the DTM races during the last eleven and a half years. Championship leader Gary Paffett will be driving his Mercedes AMG C-Coupé in his 90th DTM race, 19 of which he has won.
“The excitement is set to continue both in the fight for the win at Oschersleben and in the championship standings. The top seven drivers in the standings are separated by 47 points and there are a maximum of 75 points available from the remaining three races. Our team is motivated and focused on defending our lead in the three championship categories of the drivers’, team and manufacturers’ rankings.”* Official photo and details courtesy of Mercedes-AMG GmbH * Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.
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