Maximillian Götz “very happy” with season best

Mücke Motorsport’s Maximillian Götz made the best of a chaotic start in the first Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) race at the Nürburgring, as the 29-year-old came across the finish line in fifth place.

The Blancpain Sprint Series champion had a great start to the weekend, as he secured his best result in qualifying earlier in the morning, starting from sixth place.

“So at last, it’s all clicked into place,” explained Götz, who said he was “very satisfied” with how the Saturday had turned out.

“What a great day. At one point, I was up to fourth, but then I had to ease off slightly, because my tyres were starting to degrade,” said the German, who would end up just 1.066 seconds behind Paffett,

“But I’m very happy with fifth place. A big thank-you to the team for all their super work. It’s really fantastic, and tomorrow, we’ll try for a repeat performance.”

However, fellow Mücke teammates, Daniel Juncadella and Paul Di Resta, would not be so fortunate, as the pair finished 17th and 12th respectively.

Juncadella was spun back down the field, having been collected by the duelling Paffett and Blomqvist, forcing the Spaniard to languish at the tail end of the field.

“That was a race to forget, unfortunately. I got a good start but was then spun from behind in Turn 4, which ended my race in fact. My car was too badly damaged to achieve a better result,” said the 24-year-old.