In 2013 the brand with the star is putting a smaller, albeit more powerful DTM race squad with the experienced HWA and Mücke Motorsport teams on the grid. The driver line-up is fully geared to the promotion of talent, which has been a tradition at Mercedes-Benz for many decades. The average age is merely 23 years.
Spearheading the squad and Team HWA is last year’s overall runner-up and 2005 Champion Gary Paffett. This season, the experienced Briton is embarking on the title hunt for Mercedes-Benz for the tenth time. With 19 victories under his belt,he is the DTM’s most victorious active driver. Again on board at HWA is the German Christian Vietoris, who is contesting his third DTM season in 2013. The Canadian Robert Wickens made his DTM debut with Mücke Motorsport last year. In his second season he drives in the HWA team. The fourth driver in the HWA line-up is the Spaniard Roberto Merhi, who like Vietoris and Wickens is part of the Mercedes-Benz DTM Junior Team.
The Spaniard Daniel Juncadella and the merely 18-year-old German Pascal Wehrlein are members of the Junior Team as well and are contesting their first season in the DTM in Team Mücke Motorsport. There, they are supported by the former DTM driver Ralf Schumacher, who in his new management role assists the talents with advice based on his experience of more than two decades in motorsport.
Mercedes-Benz commences the 2013 season not only with a newly formed and rejuvenated driver squad but also with a re-organised DTM management team. Since 21 January 2013 the Austrian Toto Wolff has been the new man holding down the responsibility for the brand’s motorsport activities. Gerhard Ungar is responsible for sport and technology. DTM management plus marketing, sponsoring and media fall within the scope of Wolfgang Schattling’s role.
