DTM Young Driver Test: Two mega cool days!
As the year draws to a close, the DTM booked the track at Jerez de la Frontera in Spain for a week of testing (29/11/16 – 02/12/16). In addition to preparations for the 2017 DTM season, this year’s Young Driver Tests were also on the agenda, and the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team brought Maximilian Günther and Maro Engel along for this part of the programme.
2016 FIA Formula 3 runner-up Maximilian Günther was gaining his first experience of driving at DTM level this week. The 19-year-old German completed 131 laps on Tuesday, his first day of testing in the Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM, and a further 111 on Wednesday. His fastest lap time was 1:37.131 minutes. However, the focus was not so much on speed as on familiarising himself with the car and learning about working with the team.
Max: “I’ve just had two really cool days in this mega car. Every time I got out of the cockpit, I had a big grin on my face. Sure, it took some initial adjustment on my part, driving a touring car that is significantly heavier. But a DTM car obviously has much more power than a Formula 3 car, and it was the first time I’ve driven a racing car with a roof over my head. These were all new impressions for me, but I quickly got used to it. The aerodynamics were particularly impressive on the fast corners. What I enjoyed most was the challenge of getting the 500 horsepower under control and adjusting my driving style to the car. All the time I was out there, I was looking to improve my performance and learn how to manage the tyres on long runs. Those were two mega cool days. My thanks go to Mercedes-AMG for allowing me to take this test.”
Ulrich Fritz, Head of Mercedes-AMG DTM: “The final test week of the year was highly satisfactory from our point of view. We once again managed to put in a decent number of test kilometres with our development vehicle and to record plenty of data. Talking of Maximilian and Maro, they have done remarkably well this week. This especially goes for Maximilian, who gained his first experience of a DTM car; on both days, he drove well over 100 laps.”