After 54 race starts in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, Mercedes HWA’s Daniel Juncadella finally reached the podium for the first time in his career.
After a difficult weekend for the Stuttgart brand, the Spaniard was able to take advantage of a clear space on the grid, left by Robert Wickens, who went to line up on the incorrect side, demoting him to the back of the field.
He blasted his way into fifth place by turn three, and was able to hold on to third place from the end of the first lap, as both title contenders Marco Wittmann and Edoardo Mortara clashed on the run down to turn one.
“My first podium in the DTM – that was certainly the most beautiful race of my career so far,” said the 25-year-old, who had only managed fourth places previously since his début in 2013.
“I never really expected it, because up until the second race, it did not look like it was going to happen this weekend. But I made another mega start. I’ve been doing really well with my starts for quite a few races.”
His performance had improved after a difficult start to the season, which saw a change in chassis for the former Formula 3 champion at Circuit Park Zandvoort, culminating in his result in the feature race at Hungary.
“Incredible! Overall, it was a very emotional race for me. Given the circumstances, I just couldn’t believe that I was in third place. But my car was perfect,” explained Juncadella, who now moves up to 19th in the standings on 21 points, thanking the team for their efforts.
“To start on a positive note, congratulations to Dani on his first DTM podium. He’s been close on so many occasions in the past, and now it’s finally worked out for him,” said Head of Mercedes-AMG DTM, Ulrich Fritz, who felt it was the only high point for the team, after a difficult weekend for all.