With the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters now entering the business end of the 2017 campaign at the Nürburgring, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport are looking to fight their way back at their rivals this coming weekend, having endured a difficult weekend three weeks ago.
The Stuttgart assault on the series is being led by young charger Lucas Auer, who is still in striking distance of the lead in the drivers’ standings, 29 points adrift of current leader Mattias Ekström.
The 22-year-old, who has put his car on the front row on all four races he has contested in his short DTM career, has stepped onto the podium just once last year, having finished second to his now-BWT team mate Edoardo Mortara.
“I’m really looking forward to the Nürburgring where I’ve already enjoyed success in the past,” said the Austrian, who took two wins earlier this year, before a pair of non-finishes at Hungary and Norisring saw his title aspirations take a slight dent.
“I’ll try to build on that next weekend, but the most important thing is to secure points and attack again in the final sprint to the end of the season.”
Long-standing Mercedes stalwart Gary Paffett is aiming for further successes this year, with a hope of even securing a win in one of the six remaining races.
“Driving at the Nürburgring is a lot of fun. As a team, we didn’t exactly have the best of weekends at Zandvoort, which is why we’ll try to improve at the Nürburgring,” said the Suffolk-based driver, who is currently ninth in the drivers’ standings, having taken one podium so far this season at the Hockenheim opener.
“We’re getting close to the end of the season now, so it’s important to secure some good results.”
One driver that considers the Nürburgring to be a “second home” is Maro Engel, who knows the Nordschleife very well, having won around the track last season in the 24 Hour race with Team Black Falcon with five-time DTM champion Bernd Schneider.
The German, who took his maiden win at Moscow Raceway back in July, admits that he is “keen to return to the Eifel” to return to the sharp end of the field this weekend.
“I’ve contested a lot of races there, and my win in the 24-hour race was a very special experience. Of course, I would also really love to race around the Nordschleife in my DTM car, but the Grand Prix circuit is very special too and provides plenty of exciting racing for fans. We would like to stage our comeback at the Nürburgring after the disappointment at Zandvoort.”