DTM at Spielberg: Race Review
June 8, 2012
A thrilling race in Spielberg saw Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) finish in third place, marking his fourth podium finish in the first four races of the 2012 season.
After battling for first place with front-runner Edoardo Mortara (Audi), Paffett was forced on to the grass following his second pit stop. Despite nursing his car for the remainder of the race with grass in the radiator, Paffett was pleased with his performance so far, describing it as: “a first-class start to the season.”
Commenting on the race, Paffett said: “Before the race, we had planned on securing as many points as possible from Spielberg in the championship standings and we were quite successful in that we achieved a podium finish.”
This was the 485th podium for Mercedes-Benz in the DTM, and the fifth of the 2012 season. Paffett tops the drivers’ standings with 83 points, increasing his championship lead to 36 points over second-placed Mattias Ekström (Audi) with 47 points.
Meanwhile, Jamie Green (Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) finished in P5, narrowly missing out on a podium finish due to an earlier brush with another car. After the race he concluded: “My pace was not too bad today but not enough for victory. Fifth place means, however, that I’ve at least secured important points in the championship where I am now in third place.“
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, was equally pleased with the result saying: “The crowd got to see some really exciting racing right at the limit – sometimes over it too. After completing a record distance of over 200 kilometres, the first five crossed the finish line within 5.4 seconds of each other, which once again emphasises just how evenly matched the field is.”
A total of 48,500 fans attended the DTM race weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) at Spielberg. The next race takes place on 1st July at the Norisring street circuit in Nuremberg, where Mercedes AMG has secured nine successive victories.
Tell us what you think on Twitter via @MercedesBenzUK.
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