Mercedes Extend Deal With Gary Paffett

Here comes the first news regarding the Mercedes DTM line-up for 2012, as Gary Paffett has just signed a multi-year contract with the three-pointed star brand. The driver has been with Mercedes-Benz since 2003, and has so far scored a total of 17 wins from 73 starts, a winning record of more than every one in five races.

He has also taken podium finishes in more than one in three of the races he has started in the DTM (25 podiums in total, or 34% of his DTM races).

In 2005, Paffett became the first British driver ever to win the DTM championship at the wheel of the AMG Mercedes C-Klasse, while in 2007 he became the first driver in series history to win a race with a year-old car.

“Next year, the DTM will enter a new era and the competition will be even tougher. It’s a big challenge to try and make our future as successful as we have been in the past – and I am sure experience and continuity will play a big role in achieving that. I’m very excited to be part of this new era of the DTM and the fact that I now have a long-term contract in place with Mercedes gives me a solid basis on which to perform even better,” Paffett said.

“Gary is a vital part of our very successful history in the DTM. He is a racer in the purest form: straight and tough but always fair. On behalf of Mercedes-Benz, I would like to thank Gary for all his hard work and the success he has had until now. This new contract will take us into a second decade together, and we will work hard to ensure it will be just as successful as our first – or even better,” added Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.