Rosberg to Drive DTM Car at Hockenheim

Nico Rosberg will use the spare time he has before the European season of Formula 1 kicks off to fulfill one of his many motor racing dreams. According to the Bild newspaper, the German driver is set to do his first proper run at the wheel of a DTM car this very weekend, when the prototype-like series opens action in Hockenheim.

“As a racing driver I grew up in the DTM, on the programme with the Formula BMW Junior and Formula 3 series,” said Rosberg, according to the aforementioned publication. The news was later confirmed by the series' official website.

“But I've never driven a DTM car, except from a few metres at the end of last season for the victory party for Paul di Resta's championship in Stuttgart,” he added, referring to the event that took place last year, in celebration of Di Resta's maiden DTM crown.

This year's DTM series will kick off this very weekend, on the Hockenheim race track, with both Audi and Mercedes-Benz having already confirmed their full lineups for weeks now. While Rosberg will be there as representative of the German carmaker and test a DTM-spec car prior to the event, former F1 racer David Coulthard will begin his second consecutive campaign in the series.

DC, former Grand Prix driver and current F1 commentator for BBC, was confirmed by Mercedes for yet another season in the DTM, where he'll continue to drive a one-year old spec C-Klasse AMG. As in 2010, his sponsor for the entire campaign will be Deutsche Post.