Christian Vietoris, Mercedes-Benz’s top driver in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, is aiming to take his first-ever win in the championship after securing a trio of podium finishes already in 2013.
Vietoris, 24, currently lies third overall in the championship after finishing in third in the last race at the Norisring. The young German is just 14 points behind current championship leader Mike Rockenfeller at the half-way stage of the season, and feels the time is right to take his first win in the series.
“I can be very happy with my efforts half-way through the season,” admitted Vietoris, who has 25 race starts to his name. “The first half of the season went quite well for me with three podiums, two of them in the last two races, and third place in the drivers’ championship. I would like to continue this run of successes in the remaining five races and naturally, am aiming to achieve my first DTM victory.
“However, it won’t be easy,” added Vietoris, who only scored his first pole at the Luasitzring in 2013. “The level of competition in the DTM is very high and we are breaking new ground with the next race in Moscow – no one knows yet which driver, which team and which car will cope best around the Moscow Raceway – and that makes it all the more important to stay focused from the very first practice session onwards and get the most out of the package. Our team did that extremely well during the last two race weekends.”
Head of Mercedes-Benz motorsport Toto Wolff adds that the results shown by Mercedes’ drivers so-far in 2013 – five of whom are under 25 – vindicates the decision to go with a more youthful line-up. Gary Paffett is the oldest driver in the squad at 32.
“The brilliant team efforts of our young squad of drivers at the Lausitzring and in Nuremberg show that we have been absolutely right with our strategy of putting our faith in young drivers,” said Wolff.
“When Gary won at the Lausitzring, five of our six Mercedes-Benz drivers finished in the Top Ten, and four of the five Mercedes juniors secured places in the top seven at the Norisring. We intend to continue in this vein in the second half of the season, and I have every confidence in the guys that they have the talent and the speed needed to do just that.”