DTM 2013 - Mercedes-Benz takes the victory at the Nurburgring - Still in second place, three races left in the season

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Congratulations to Mercedes-Benz who took the DTM victory at the Nurburgring race today. Canadian Robert Wickens got his first DTM victory driving the Mercedes AMG C-Coupe. Mercedes also claimed the third and tenth spots out of the top ten. BMW pressed hard picking up second place but not the victory. They remain in first place however gaining 34 points for a total 251 which keeps them in front of Mercedes with 229 who picked up 41 points.

There are three races remaining in the season. Audi is in third place with 202 points but as BMW showed last year they certainly can come from behind and win it. The next three races will be very interesting.

Results and quotes from the Nurburgring below.

Position		Fahrer	Runden	Zeit	Rückstand
1		Robert Wickens STIHL Mercedes AMG DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé	47	1:15:33.710
2		Augusto Farfus BMW Team RBM BMW M3 DTM	47	1:15:35.868	+02.158
3		Christian Vietoris Mercedes AMG DTM-Team DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé	47	1:15:43.459	+09.749
4		Mike Rockenfeller Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi RS 5 DTM	47	1:15:54.234	+20.524
5		Martin Tomczyk BMW Team RMG BMW M3 DTM	47	1:16:00.814	+27.104
6		Adrien Tambay Audi Sport Team Abt Audi RS 5 DTM	47	1:16:01.233	+27.523
7		Marco Wittmann BMW Team MTEK BMW M3 DTM	47	1:16:03.250	+29.540
8		Miguel Molina Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi RS 5 DTM	47	1:16:06.747	+33.037
9		Jamie Green Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline Audi RS 5 DTM	47	1:16:13.682	+39.972
10		Pascal Wehrlein Mercedes AMG DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé	47	1:16:14.196	+40.486
11		Filipe Albuquerque Audi Sport Team Rosberg Audi RS 5 DTM	47	1:16:14.618	+40.908
12		Edoardo Mortara Audi Sport Team Rosberg Audi RS 5 DTM	47	1:16:16.339	+42.629
13		Mattias Ekström Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline Audi RS 5 DTM	47	1:16:20.013	+46.303
14		Bruno Spengler BMW Team Schnitzer BMW M3 DTM	47	1:16:25.701	+51.991
15		Dirk Werner BMW Team Schnitzer BMW M3 DTM	47	1:16:31.359	+57.649
16		Andy Priaulx BMW Team RMG BMW M3 DTM	47	1:16:55.227	+1:21.517
17		Gary Paffett EURONICS Mercedes AMG DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé	46	1:15:36.213	1L
18		Timo Glock BMW Team MTEK BMW M3 DTM	46	1:15:44.828	1L
19		Roberto Merhi THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé	46	1:16:08.055	1L
Nicht gewertet
		Daniel Juncadella stern Mercedes AMG DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé	29	49:33.168	18L
		Joey Hand BMW Team RBM BMW M3 DTM	8	16:00.063	39L
		Timo Scheider Audi Sport Team Abt Audi RS 5 DTM	0		47L

Robert Wickens (24, Canada, STIHL Mercedes AMG C-Coupé): „It feels absolutely fantastic to have won the race at the Nürburgring. I started from seventh position on the grid and honestly did not really know what to expect. Then came the rain and everything got a bit crazy. For a while, I didn’t know what position I was in and how fast I was going. But then I was able to overtake the three cars in front of me, which brought me success in the end.“

Pascal Wehrlein (18, Germany, DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé): „I’m very pleased with my performance today. I was the fastest in the race at times and I was able to overtake quite a few drivers. Unfortunately, there was an annoying bit of contact with Roberto which resulted in a spin. While it felt great that I was able to attack again and finish in the points, it’s no compensation for what I might’ve otherwise achieved today. “

Christian Vietoris (24, Germany, DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé): „We knew we had a great car, and the team has done a fantastic job throughout the weekend. My DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé drove really well both yesterday on the dry track and today in the wet, so a big ‘Thank you’ to the whole team. There are still three races left and I think if we can continue to secure points consistently, then we will be in the running for the championship. I'm currently in second place, which is, of course, just a snapshot and we’re still quite a way off the final goal.“

Roberto Merhi (22, Spain, THOMAS SABO Mercedes AMG C-Coupé): „Unfortunately, the race was a repeat performance of qualifying. Due to the early onset of rain, I was put onto the back foot as regards strategy and had to pit three times. After that, the race was all but over for me.“

Gary Paffett (32, England, EURONICS Mercedes AMG C-Coupé): „Unfortunately, apart from the enormous disappointment I’m feeling, I’m coming away with nothing from the Nürburgring. The whole race was a nightmare, and everything that could go wrong did. The weather today threw a huge spanner in the works and completely messed up our whole strategy. I’m glad that we now have a few weeks off and that I can digest what happened in peace. After that, we’ll be back on the offensive again and make the most of the final race in Oschersleben.“

Daniel Juncadella (22, Spain, stern Mercedes AMG C-Coupé): „The first few laps were really hard, but things got better after my pit stop. It’s a pity, but I then had an unfortunate contact with Timo Glock. I hit him and was subsequently handed a drive-through penalty. That, of course, took time and I lost my rhythm. And then to crown it all, I made a mistake and lost the car’s rear, bringing my race to an early end.“

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: „That was a great race for spectators and the best advert for the DTM. Conditions were very tricky for the drivers at the start of the race and it was extremely difficult to make the right decisions regarding choice of tyres and strategy. We made the correct call with Robert and Christian, but unfortunately not where Gary and Roberto are concerned. But that's racing. We are a team – we win together and we lose together. Christian and Robert are now placed second and third in the overall standings, which just goes to show how quickly things can change in the DTM. There are three races left this season and we will not give up, definitely not.“