Photo: Daimler AG
Unlike in Formula One, where the three-pointed star manufacturer has been downright trashing its competition in all the first four races of the current season, the 2014 DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Meistershaft) championship didn't start under very good auspices.
As a matter of fact, none of the Mercedes-AMG DTM drivers even finished in the top ten yesterday, at the first race of the 2014 season at Hockenheim.
No less than 75,000 spectators saw Mercedes junior Pascal Wehrlein manage to drive his gooix Mercedes-AMG C-Coupe over the finish line in eleventh position, while ex-DTM champion Gary Paffett came came with his Euronics Mercedes-AMG C-Coupe in twelfth.
The rest of the pack of Mercedes-AMG drivers finished beneath them, with ex-Formula 1 driver and DTM champion Paul Di Resta in 14th, Christian Vietoris in 15th, Vitaly Petrov in 17th, Robert Wickens in 18th and Daniel Juncadella in 19th place. Or, as others would say, this was the worst DTM season opener in history for Mercedes-Benz.
“That was a disappointing start to the season, unfortunately. I did not have the necessary pace and I found the going very tough, especially just at the start of the race. The car’s balance changed dramatically during the race, and I felt pretty comfortable in the car in the end and was able to post faster lap times. It’s a shame, but there are no points for eleventh place. Now we must all put our heads together and improve the car before the next race in two weeks’ time, and then strike back in Oschersleben.“ said Pascal Wehrlein, the best placed Mercedes-AMG driver yesterday.
The Hockenheim race was won by Marco Wittmann from BMW, who was followed on the podium by Mattias Ekström and Adrien Tambay from Audi.
Currently, BMW is leading the Manufacturer's Championship with 54 points, followed by Audi with 47 points and Mercedes-Benz with – you guessed it – zero points. Let's see if the Stuttgart brand will improve in the two weeks remaining until the second race of the season will take place at Oschersleben.
No less than 75,000 spectators saw Mercedes junior Pascal Wehrlein manage to drive his gooix Mercedes-AMG C-Coupe over the finish line in eleventh position, while ex-DTM champion Gary Paffett came came with his Euronics Mercedes-AMG C-Coupe in twelfth.
The rest of the pack of Mercedes-AMG drivers finished beneath them, with ex-Formula 1 driver and DTM champion Paul Di Resta in 14th, Christian Vietoris in 15th, Vitaly Petrov in 17th, Robert Wickens in 18th and Daniel Juncadella in 19th place. Or, as others would say, this was the worst DTM season opener in history for Mercedes-Benz.
“That was a disappointing start to the season, unfortunately. I did not have the necessary pace and I found the going very tough, especially just at the start of the race. The car’s balance changed dramatically during the race, and I felt pretty comfortable in the car in the end and was able to post faster lap times. It’s a shame, but there are no points for eleventh place. Now we must all put our heads together and improve the car before the next race in two weeks’ time, and then strike back in Oschersleben.“ said Pascal Wehrlein, the best placed Mercedes-AMG driver yesterday.
The Hockenheim race was won by Marco Wittmann from BMW, who was followed on the podium by Mattias Ekström and Adrien Tambay from Audi.
Currently, BMW is leading the Manufacturer's Championship with 54 points, followed by Audi with 47 points and Mercedes-Benz with – you guessed it – zero points. Let's see if the Stuttgart brand will improve in the two weeks remaining until the second race of the season will take place at Oschersleben.
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