Mercedes-AMG DTM head to the Euro Speedway Lausitzring this weekend with a lot of work to do, as the Stuttgart brand is currently at the bottom of the manufacturers’ standings after a difficult set of circumstances in Spielberg a fortnight ago.
Nevertheless, Paul Di Resta heads to the Brandenburg circuit with the points lead in the drivers’s standings, just three ahead of Audi Sport’s Edoardo Mortara.
“I’m really eager to get back behind the wheel again at the Lausitzring,” said the 30-year-old, who was the only Mercedes driver to take points in Austria, finishing seventh in race one.
With the brand being the most successful outfit at the Lausitzring, taking 11 wins in the past 15 years, the Scot is very aware that the challenge ahead is a tough one for all.
“The objective is to extend my championship lead and reward the guys on the team for all their hard work. At the moment, there is a lot of tension between the drivers, which has spilled over from the track. But it’s entertaining for the fans and shows that we have plenty of real personalities in the DTM.”
Di Resta’s words regarding the tension is very apparent, especially with Team ART’s Gary Paffett being pushed off track by Audi’s Timo Scheider at the Red Bull Ring.
“I’m heading for the Lausitzring in the hope that we can get back to the form we showed at Hockenheim,” explained the 2005 champion.
“We had problems at Spielberg, but I’m optimistic that we can once again produce the kind of performance at the Lausitzring that we expect of ourselves.”
Paffett also felt that the actions of Scheider, who is the only active DTM driver that has won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009, robbed him of a potential points finish.
“I think that there should be more consistent penalties for this kind of thing in future. If we come across each other again on the Lausitzring track, I hope that the outcome will be fairer this time.”
Two of the Mercedes drivers that took part in last weekend’s Nurburgring 24 Hours, Christian Vietoris and Maximilian Götz, have a fresh impetus after trips to the podium.
“I hope that I can take the momentum from this result forward to the Lausitzring. I feel like I’ m at the top of my game. I’m fully motivated and my self-confidence has been boosted,” said Götz, who showed a good turn of pace last season, making up places after a difficult qualifying.
“We now need to build on the race pace that we demonstrated at Spielberg and at last deliver in qualifying. The points will then be there for the taking.”
“I’m looking forward to the coming weekend. In recent years at the Lausitzring, I’ve managed to finish on the podium a few times,” explained Vietoris, who has three points finishes to his credit, including a trip to the lowest step of the podium in 2013.
“For that reason, it’s definitely one of my favourite tracks. It’s unfortunate, but I must say in all honesty that the track doesn’t suit our car quite as much as in previous seasons. After the great result in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, however, I’ll be arriving at the Lausitzring feeling confident.”