Gary Paffett was delighted to claim victory in the opening DTM race of the 2018 season, after having had to wait almost five years since his last victory for Mercedes-Benz.
Paffett controlled the first race of the weekend, having taken pole position on Saturday morning. The Brit was briefly headed by stablemate Lucas Auer in the early stages of the race, but re-took the advantage during the pitstop phase of the race.
“The team did an excellent job today, the car was really good,” said Paffett. “Lucas passed me initially and I didn’t want to resist too much at that point. We then brought our pit stop forward, and the tyre change and out-lap were really strong, so I was able to pass him again.
“I managed to open up a gap subsequently and secure the win. It’s been a while since my last victory.
“We were often close to winning during the interim period and it’s a terrific reward for me and the team for all our hard work in recent years.”
Paffett has had to wait no less than 1,784 days since his last win at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in 2013.
“After this long drought, this victory is a really special one. I am really delighted both for myself and for the team.”