Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class), current leader in the DTM after eight races in the 2010 season:
“German Final race at Hockenheim, full house, excitement and all-out attack – all this goes together. In the last race Paul recovered some points but in Hockenheim I want to stand right at the top of the podium and lay the foundation stone for this with an excellent qualification result. The enthusiasm of the fans at the Mercedes-Benz grandstand and Motodrom will spur me on all the more as this time I come to Hockenheim as front runner, three races before the end of the championship.”
Paul Di Resta (AMG Mercedes C-Class), winner of the last two races at Brands Hatch and Oschersleben and second in overall standings in the DTM:
“Two victories and one second place in the last three races, giving me 10 points more than Bruno – that’s a fantastic motivation for the race at Hockenheim. Bruno’s advantage is seven points, but thirty more can still be won. I am very eager to see possible overtaking manoeuvres in the new double curve before the Mercedes grandstand – there will certainly be plenty of action here for drivers and fans. After all, the new racecourse layout offers spectators about 20 % more rounds.”
Gary Paffett (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class), currently in third place in the DTM overall standing:
“The Hockenheim course is technically very demanding due to the high-speed sections in the central sector and the relatively slow, tight curves of the Motodrome, making it difficult to find the right setup for all the different requirements. I won both the last races at Hockenheim and that is my goal again this time. It will not be easy to equalise with Bruno’s 16-point advantage, but in this German Touring Car Championship there are still three races to go in which anything can still happen. The last, decisive chequered flag has yet to fall.”
Ralf Schumacher (Laureus AMG Mercedes C-Class), starting in the DTM in Hockenheim for the fifth time:
“The Hockenheim ring – both for teams and drivers one of the most attractive and delightful race tracks in the world – has some high-speed straights but some tight curves as well. This makes it necessary for compromises to be made between top speed and downforce. Past races have shown that I am moving in the right direction and with each DTM race learn a little more. In this last race in Germany my team and I want to achieve a good result and defend our second place in the overall team ranking. It is good to go for this goal in front of an audience even more impressive than was the case before, with Formula One.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class), driving in his ninth DTM race in Hockenheim:
“The Hockenheim course is a classic one, which I know from Formula 1 and from my first DTM race in April 2010. I want to make use of this experience at this German Finale, hopefully in front of a full house, and offer the best entertainment for the many enthusiastic Mercedes-Benz co-workers and fans who will be there on the grandstands. The redesigned racetrack layout will make it possible to drive the course in a more flowing manner, something which will certainly benefit me as a neophyte in the German Touring Car Championship.”
Norbert Haug:
“The DTM in Hockenheim – that’s the home race for this successful series. No other venue hosted the DTM more often, and nowhere else in the course of a DTM year will you see more spectators during the race weekend than in Hockenheim. For Mercedes-Benz, too, the DTM in Hockenheim is a home race, 100 kilometres away from our headquarters in Stuttgart, and with our manufacturing plants in Mannheim, Wörth and Gaggenau within the same distance.
“We expect a lot of excitement for the German finale of the DTM which will race on the shortened circuit for the first time thus offering 20 per cent more laps for the spectators in Sunday’s race. It would be nice if we could repeat our win of the opening race in April also in the German finale. More than 10,000 customers and employees will keep their fingers crossed for us at the Mercedes grandstand and the Nordkurve.”
