Tales from the paddock: Formula 1, DTM and AMG Customer Sports

One big motor #racing occasion after another: After the maiden victory for Lucas Auer at the Lausitzring Motorsport Festival, the focus of attention is next weekend’s Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.

• This is what happened: Weekend’s results & facts
• News from the Mercedes-AMG motorsport teams
• Three questions for Lucas Auer
• Social media news: What’s new online?
• This week’s important dates and events

What happened: Results & facts

• DTM: Maiden DTM victory for Lucas Auer, which also makes him the first Austrian winner in the history of the DTM
• DTM: Two podiums and championship lead for Robert Wickens
• Super Car Race Series: Podium for Japan’s Kouichi Okumura in an SLS AMG GT3 at Fuji International Speedway

News snippets

From Monaco to Montreal: In the Monaco Grand Prix one and a half weeks ago, Lewis Hamilton increased his tally of Formula 1 victories to 44. The first of these was posted in 2007 at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve – a clean sweep of victory, pole position and fastest race lap. Since then, Lewis has won three more times in Montreal, most recently last year on the way to his third world title. With four wins from eight starts (the fixture was omitted from the 2009 calendar), he is the second most successful driver in the history of the Canadian Grand Prix. Only Michael Schumacher with seven victories to his credit has experienced more success on the Ile Notre-Dame. Next weekend, Lewis returns to Canada for the seventh race weekend of the season. “Montreal has always been a good track for me,” he says. “Hopefully I’m able to shine like I did the first time I went there in that great city atmosphere.”

“Vive La Mannschaft”: Maximilian Götz headed straight from the Motorsport Festival at the Lausitzring to the next #event in his diary. On Monday, he met up with #mesutozil in #stuttgart for a TV commercial in which he is shown presenting the star football player with the keys to his new company car, a Mercedes-AMG S 63 Coupé. “That was a cool PR #event,” said Götz. “ Wait and see what comes out of it!” Throughout the current season, Götz has had a sticker on his Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM with the message “Vive La Mannschaft”. “And of course, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the lads in the European Championship!”

Special liveries: At the Lausitzring Motorsport Festival, two of the Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTMs were sporting a special design. On the bonnet of Esteban Ocon’s car was a logo commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in #stuttgart, which takes place this week. Meanwhile, Daniel Juncadella’s car displayed the logo of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The DTM driver and amateur triathlete is a patron of TEAM SPORT FOR GOOD and collaborates with them on fundraising and social media activities. Former professional boxer and Laureus Ambassador Axel Schulz was also an honoured guest at the Lausitzring last weekend.

Simulator Challenge: In the run-up to every DTM race weekend, players can compete against each other in the Mercedes-AMG Online Race Competition and also try to beat the benchmark time set by one of the Mercedes-AMG DTM drivers. There was a big race simulator match at the Lausitzring, which pitted three DTM drivers against three of the ADAC GT Masters contestants. Defending the honour of the marque with the three-pointed star was Daniel Juncadella, who also featured in a video made before the weekend describing the track for the benefit of motorsport fans. This obviously paid off, because he finished runner-up in the virtual DTM race.

Watch video clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6nhfuL1cV0

Celebrity visitors: Two of the winners in the ADAC Zurich 24-hour race at the Nürburgring on the previous weekend were warmly welcomed at the Lausitzring: record DTM championship winner Bernd Schneider and former DTM driver Maro Engel. They were there primarily to wish the best of luck to their colleagues in the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team, but they did not arrive as mere pedestrians – they also brought along their race-winning car, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 4 entered by the AMG-Team BLACK FALCON. In addition, they each did a stint in the TV commentary box. Schneider was co-commentator for the second ADAC GT Masters race on SPORT1, and Engel chimed in during recorded highlights of the first DTM race on SPORT1+.

Three questions for Lucas Auer

Lucas, it’s been three days since your race win at the Lausitzring. How do you feel now, and what’s been going on in the meantime?

Lucas Auer: “Yes, the feeling is still great, but I genuinely needed another whole day to let it sink in. My phone exploded on Sunday. In the evening, we celebrated together in Berlin, but on Monday I switched from party mode to preparation mode for the Norisring. Yesterday, I was in Affalterbach at HWA, and today I was at Mücke in Berlin. So work is going on as normal.”

What did your uncle Gerhard Berger say to you on the phone?

Lucas Auer: “First of all, we both had a good laugh, because everyone was talking about this phone call. Then he asked me if I had also set the fastest race lap. But I think he wanted to wind me up just a bit. In any case, it was highly amusing. Then he asked me a few questions, and that was about it really.”

Have you redefined your objectives for this season now?

Lucas Auer: “No, not at all. I’ll carry on trying to finish consistently in the Top Ten. As the saying goes, this was just one race win and not the championship. Consequently, you have to keep your feet on the ground.”

Social Media News

AskNico: What are the questions that Silver Arrows fans have always wanted to ask Nico Rosberg? Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, they get the chance to do just that. Team partner Bose is compiling a list of questions on Twitter and will put them to Nico in a Facebook live stream on Wednesday 8th June in the run-up to the race weekend.

Tweet: twitter.com/Bose/status/738749760316821504

Bose Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Bose

44 x 44: The number 44 has a special significance for Lewis Hamilton. For many years now, this has been the starting number on his Silver Arrow, and since the Monaco Grand Prix, it is the number of victories he has booked to his Grand Prix account. Our video shows his journey from the debut triumph in Canada through to his most recent coup in Monaco.

Watch video clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAG9aly0l8s

Silver Arrows Show: In the latest edition of our Silver Arrows Show, Toto Wolff presents an interim review of the first six races of the season. In addition, Senior Hospitality & Events Manager Rachael Laenen tells us what kept the team alert and on their toes during the star #event of the season in Monaco. Then, Lewis Hamilton’s senior Silver Arrows mechanic Nathan Divey recounts his podium appearance on behalf of the team in Monaco.

Watch video clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=abJeefQZzkI

360-degree videos: Mercedes-AMG DTM Race Hub Moderator Thore Schölermann was back with his 360-degree camera for the Motorsport Festival at the Lausitzring. On the team Facebook page, he shares exclusive insights into the pit lane, the garage of Lucas Auer’s team and the Mercedes-Benz Erlebniswelt exhibition.

Watch video clips: www.facebook.com/mercedesamgdtm