Robert Wickens (SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) took second place and his seventh podium in the DTM

Robert Wickens: "It's brilliant to finish on the podium here in the first race"

Hockenheim, Germany – Thrilling DTM season opener for the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team in their home race at the Hockenheimring: Robert Wickens (SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) achieved a podium in the first race of the season. This was the Canadian driver's seventh podium overall of his DTM career.

2010 DTM champion Paul Di Resta (Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) and Christian Vietoris (BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) completed a fine team performance for the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team by placing fourth and fifth respectively. As a result, three Mercedes-AMG DTM drivers finished among the Top Five in the race. Gary Paffett (Mercedes-AMG C EURONICS C 63 DTM) crossed the finish line in eleventh place in a car that was badly damaged following several contacts.

Esteban Ocon (FREE MEN'S WORLD Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) and Daniel Juncadella (UBFS Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) suffered a frustrating end to the first race of the season when they were eliminated at an early stage. French DTM rookie Ocon had to retire his car to the pits on the third lap with damage to the front end. Birthday boy Juncadella ended his race in the gravel on the approach to the Motodrom after a contact with Timo Glock. Maximilian Götz (Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) and Lucas Auer (BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) from Austria also failed to take the chequered flag in the first race of the new season.

Looking ahead to race 2: The second DTM race will start on Sunday at 14:33 (live on ARD at 14:15). The third free practice session will be staged at 10:00 and the second qualifying session at 12:30 (live on EinsFestival at 12:25). The Mercedes-AMG DTM Race Hub at mercedes.me/racehubdtm, featuring live timing data, live commentary, fan voting and exclusive video clips hosted by Thore Schölermann will give an insight into what's happening behind the scenes at the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team during each race weekend.

Comments after the race:

Robert Wickens (27, Canada):
P2
Car number: 6
Team: SILBERPFEIL Energy / UBFS Mercedes-AMG
(Mercedes-AMG DTM Team HWA)
Car: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"It's brilliant to finish on the podium here in the first race. I got away well but then found myself sandwiched between two other cars. It was a tough race, but I'm very pleased that we were able to begin the season as strong as we ended it last year. What a great start! I'd now like to go one better in tomorrow's race."  

Paul Di Resta (30, Scotland):
P4
Car number: 3
Team: Mercedes-AMG (Mercedes-AMG DTM Team HWA)
Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"That was a good way to open the new season. Unfortunately, I had a problem with the clutch at the start of the race; the guys will therefore have some work to do this evening. It's good to come fourth again, although that's the third time in succession for me. Now I'd like to finish on the podium tomorrow. Hats off to the team after all their hard work over the winter; the new car is one with which we can be contenders for the championship."  

Christian Vietoris (27, Germany):
P5
Car number: 8
Team: BWT Mercedes-AMG (Mercedes-AMG DTM Team Mücke)
Car: BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"This was an excellent race for me in view of the limited opportunity for pre-season testing. The team did a great job of setting up the car despite the relatively few kilometres of testing I was able to put in here a few weeks ago. We were very competitive from the word go on Friday. I'm very happy with fifth position and have now secured my first points of the season."  

Ulrich Fritz, Head of Mercedes-AMG DTM:

"It's simply superb to be starting the season with a podium and three cars in the Top Five. All our hard work over the winter months has paid off. But it also has to be said that the race today was a really brutal affair. It was as if all 24 drivers had gone out there with a cutlass between their teeth. For the fans, it was real spectacle. I feel sorry for our guys. We have a job on our hands getting the cars back into shape for tomorrow."  

Race results: Top Ten 

Paul Di Resta Dominated The Second Race At Hockenheim - Gary Paffett In Fifth Place After Terrific Comeback

Paul Di Resta (37 points) and Robert Wickens (26 points) head the DTM drivers' standings in the top two places

Hockenheim, Germany - First win of the 2016 season for the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team in home race at Hockenheim: Paul Di Resta (Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) won the second DTM race of the weekend in front of 78,500 spectators. This was the seventh win and 25th podium finish of the 2010 champion's DTM career.

Gary Paffett (EURONICS Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) lined up in P3 on the grid and was within striking distance of race leader Paul Di Resta after his pit stop. However, the 2005 champion was given a drive-through penalty for an 'unsafe release' on his pit stop. Paffett dropped out of the Top Ten and lost his chance of a battle with Di Resta and a possible podium. He then produced a strong performance to move back up the field to finish fifth.

After his second place in the first race on Saturday, Canadian Robert Wickens (SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) achieved another points-scoring finish on Sunday. He crossed the finish line in P6 after 37 laps.

Maximilian Götz (Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) ended the second race of the season in P13. The two Pink Panthers, Christian Vietoris and Lucas Auer, finished 15th and 16th respectively in their BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTMs. The Spaniard Daniel Juncadella (UBFS Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) retired shortly before the end of the race.

The second DTM race for rookie Esteban Ocon (FREE MEN'S WORLD Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM) ended after a collision with Bruno Spengler (BMW) and Jamie Green (Audi) shortly after the start. The Frenchman was hit by Antonio Felix da Costa (BMW) on the first lap and was then unable to avoid Spengler.

The next race weekend: Drivers and teams will head to Styria in Austria for the second race weekend of the 2016 DTM season. Races three and four will be staged at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg on the weekend of 20th-22nd May.

Comments after the race:

Paul Di Resta (30, Scotland):
P1
Car number: 3
Team: Mercedes-AMG (Mercedes-AMG DTM Team HWA)
Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"It's a long time since 2010 when I won my last DTM race here at Hockenheim - longer than I would have wished. But today, everything went great. We succeeded in controlling the race, and the car ran beautifully. Many thanks to my team for having given me this strongly performing car. The dedication shown by the guys is really impressive. That was an absolute top job by the team. They got no sleep last night and yet still managed to give me such a great car. This was their victory. I dedicate this win to my son Leo. He's at the track for the first time and I rack up a win. What a great start to the season!"  

Gary Paffett (35, England):
P5
Car number: 2
Team: EURONICS/FREE MEN'S WORLD Mercedes-AMG
(Mercedes-AMG DTM Team ART)
Car: EURONICS Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

"I had one of the fastest cars in today's race and was in with a chance of winning it. Then to finish back in fifth after a drive-through penalty is obviously very disappointing. To be honest, I'm really upset."  

Robert Wickens (27, Canada):
P6
Car number: 6
Team: SILBERPFEIL Energy / UBFS Mercedes-AMG
(Mercedes-AMG DTM Team HWA)
Car: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

Ulrich Fritz, Head of Mercedes-AMG DTM:

"Overall, we can be satisfied with the weekend, for sure! A win and a second place make a great start to the season. However, a one-two win would have been possible today but for the 'unsafe release'. Gary's speed was amazing, just like Paul's. The way Gary ploughed through the field to secure fifth place despite the setback, well, that was racing at its best."  

Race results: Top Ten 

Drivers' Championship 

Manufacturers' Championship 

Teams' Championship 

Canadians In BOLD