By: Mercedes-AGM DTM
September 19 2017
Going into the penultimate race weekend of the 2017 DTM season at Spielberg, there is still everything to play for.
The team travels to Austria boosted by the two victories at the Nürburgring - a one-two-three-four on Saturday and a one-two on Sunday.
Local favourite Lucas Auer is currently second in the driver's championship, nine points behind top-of-the-table Mattias Ekström, and relishing the prospect of his home race.
Lucas Auer: "I've put in an incredible number of laps at Spielberg, and it's a track that is especially good for spectators."
Ulrich Fritz: "After our strong weekend at the Nürburgring, we still have three drivers in contention for the title."
Comments on the DTM races at Spielberg
Lucas Auer (23, Austria):
Car number: 22
Team: BWT Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
Car: BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
"I'm obviously looking forward to my home race at Spielberg. I've put in an incredible number of laps at Spielberg, and it's a track that is especially good for spectators. I think the circuit is pretty much the best in Europe, where everyone can feel comfortable. There is good food, a great show and superb seating with a perfect view of the track. From a sporting perspective, we'll have to wait and see how things work out for us. With the new cars and tyres this year, it's difficult to make any forecasts. I'm feeling confident, though, despite the fact that it was difficult for us last year - which is no secret. But let's see what the weather does."
Robert Wickens (28, Canada):
Car number: 6
Team: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes me
Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM Mercedes me
"First off, I think everyone is very excited that the performance weights are now gone. Looking at Spielberg, it's a track where I've been quick in the past and had some good results. Coming off a win last weekend at the Nürburgring, I'm obviously hoping we can make a big final push to try and challenge for the championship."
Paul Di Resta (31, Scotland):
Car number: 3
Team: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
"The races are starting to come thick and fast now, which is great, given the momentum we can carry forward from the Nürburgring and the positive results we had there. The biggest news, I guess, is that the performance weights are gone. It's proper racing until the end of the championship between all three manufacturers, and I'm sure it's going to be a thrilling end to the season. I want to get closer to the top, and I hope that we can have a successful weekend."
Gary Paffett (36, England):
Car number: 2
Team: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Mercedes me
Car: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM Mercedes me
"I'm really looking forward to getting back in the car. The Nürburgring was really disappointing. We had a great car and the pace was good all weekend, but I obviously didn't get the results I wanted. I can't wait to get into the car at Spielberg, and I'm looking for some really strong results again."
Maro Engel (32, Germany):
Car number: 63
Team: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
Car: SILBERPFEIL Energy Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
"After a weekend as successful as the one we had at the Nürburgring, the next DTM race weekend cannot come soon enough. Consequently, everyone in the team is looking forward to Spielberg. It's a circuit that is known for serving up fascinating races with plenty of wheel-to-wheel action. We now intend to build on the great weekend we had in the Eifel. I'm looking forward to this closing stage of the season with the last two race weekends of the year. I'm sure that everyone will be pulling out all the stops, so it's up to us to assert our claim to the trophy and bring it back to Stuttgart."
Edoardo Mortara (30, Italy):
Car number: 48
Team: BWT Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
Car: BWT Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM
"I'm looking forward to Spielberg, as it is probably one of the tracks on the DTM calendar that I like the most. I've competed there successfully in the past, and quite apart from that, I like the scenery and whole setting of the track. You always meet very nice people there. With the removal of the performance weights, it's going to be an interesting weekend."
Ulrich Fritz, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM:
"After our strong weekend at the Nürburgring, we still have three drivers in contention for the title. Of all the drivers on our team, Luggi in P2 has the best hand to play, of course, but both Rob and Paul have shown impressive form in the last few races. If they can keep it up, the two of them are still in with a chance. It's obviously great for the fans how tight it is at the top of the DTM this year. It's not often you see that. In Spielberg, we now have a track that did not suit us at all last year. The surface is smooth with very few irregularities. That tends to play to the advantage of our opponents. But I have the utmost confidence that our engineers will identify a good setup and that we will come away with a good result."
Canadians In BOLD