Tales from the paddock – Robert Wickens: “I was holding back the tears on many occasions”

At the end of this season, the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport family will be saying a fond farewell to Robert Wickens, who competed in his last DTM race at Hockenheim and is now switching to the IndyCar series.

• This is what happened: Results and facts
• News from the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport teams
• Three questions for Robert Wickens
• Social media news: What's new online?
• This week's important dates and events

This is what happened: Results & facts

• DTM: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport finish the 2017 DTM season as runners-up in the manufacturers' championship
• Blancpain GT Series Asia: Hunter Abbott and GruppeM Racing secure the drivers' and team titles
• Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy (Special Touring Car Trophy): Kenneth Heyer wins ahead of Oscar Tunjo in first race - series champion Tunjo achieves another podium in Race 2
• Campeonato de España Resistencia: Two victories at the Circuito de Navarra for the SLS AMG GT3 pairing of Antonio Escámez and Miguel Ángel de Castro

News snippets

On to Austin: The Formula 1 race at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend will be the sixth at this particular venue. Lewis Hamilton has had three consecutive wins there over the past three years. He also won in 2012 when the track made its F1 debut. His special affinity for the US Grand Prix became apparent in 2015 when he clinched his third world championship ahead of time with a tenth win of the season. The last three pole positions in Austin have also been claimed by a Silver Arrows driver: in 2016, it was Lewis, while in 2014 and 2015, it was his team-mate Nico Rosberg.

Stat-Attack - DTM 2017: The 2017 DTM came to an end last Sunday with the traditional fireworks display at Hockenheim, the home race for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. Audi feted their new DTM champion, René Rast, while the brand with the three-pointed star had to settle for the runner-up spot in the constructors' championship. During the course of the 18 races in 2017, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM drivers qualified in pole position on four occasions, registered six victories and made 14 podium appearances. The most successful member of the squad was Austria's Lucas Auer, who occupied the top rung of the podium three times. That put him on level pegging with champion Rast and Jamie Green (Audi) in terms of race wins. Paul Di Resta, Maro Engel and Robert Wickens also lifted one race winner's trophy each. All six Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM drivers ascended the podium at least once during the season.

Drivers' and team titles in the Blancpain GT Series Asia: Hunter Abbott (GBR) came to the grand finale of the Blancpain GT Series Asia with a four-point deficit on the championship leader. He had one clear objective - to outsmart his main rival in the two remaining races and take the title. Abbott and his co-driver Maxi Buhk (GER) in the GruppeM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 got their weekend off to a promising start in Race 1, in which they finished third after qualifying fourth. They then came fourth in the second race after once again moving up one place. The points haul from the two races was enough to take Mercedes-AMG GT3 man Abbott up to the top of the drivers' standings and secure him the 2017 Blancpain GT Series Asia title. 'My thanks go to everyone on the GruppeM Racing team for having provided me with this great car and to all the fans for their great support,' said Abbott. 'It was the only way I was ever going to make this fantastic season possible.' The two results were also enough for GruppeM Racing to top the team standings.

Formula 3 grand finale at Hockenheim: The 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship concluded at Hockenheim with two victories for drivers in cars powered by Mercedes-AMG Formula 3 engines. In the second race of the weekend, Callum Ilott secured the hat-trick of pole position, fastest lap and victory. In the final race of the season on Sunday, it was Maximilian Günther's turn to perform the hat-trick as he recorded a fifth win of the season. Callum Ilott finished the campaign on six victories and in third place, just ahead of Günther. Prema Powerteam won the championship title by a massive 127-point margin.

Champagne on ice for the final race weekend: Oscar Tunjo (COL) made light work of the grand finale to the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy (Special Touring Car Trophy). Even before the last two races of the year, the Colombian, who drives for Kornely Motorsport, had already clinched the title by winning eight of the twelve previous races. And all of this in his rookie year with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. So the champagne was already on ice going into the two races at the Nürburgring. In perfect weather conditions, Tunjo in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 secured two more Top Three finishes, on these two occasions as runner-up. Afterwards came the much-anticipated and well-deserved champagne shower on the podium with the Kornely Motorsport team. Felicitades a todos, as the saying goes in Spanish.

Full points at the end of the season: Two races, two victories - that was the impressive outcome for Antonio Escámez and Miguel Ángel de Castro on the last weekend of the season. After their double victory in mid-September in Barcelona, the two Spaniards sharing the cockpit of the Team Drivex School SLS AMG GT3 were determined to repeat the feat at Los Arcos. And they did it in style. In both races at the Circuito de Navarra, the Spanish duo were first to cross the finish line, scoring valuable points towards the drivers' championship one last time this year to take them both into the Top Four (Escámez in third and Ángel de Castro in fourth).

Three questions for Robert Wickens

Rob, when you look back on the last six years, what is your best memory of the DTM?

Robert Wickens: I honestly think that the best memory in the last three years was really finding my groove in DTM and becoming more of a title contender. It's been a real pleasure. In the first year, I had to learn the ropes of the DTM, and then joining HWA was a big honour. Also getting my first ever DTM win at the Nürburgring in 2013 was an amazing feeling, because I know how much of a struggle it can be for formula car drivers or ex-Formula 1 drivers when they come into the DTM. So the fact that I got a win so quickly was a big relief for me. I had some amazing drives and team results, so it's hard to pick just one, but I would definitely say it's the last three years taken together that I will remember the most.

How important for you were the people in the DTM and the team, especially your friendship with Gary?

Robert Wickens: It's been an amazing six years of my life. I can' t thank Mercedes enough for the last six years, and I wish them the best of luck for the future. I've made some lifetime friendships. I had a lot of ups and downs on the way, but I have never had so much support from a team before. It's been an honour to represent their brand, and maybe it's not the last time. Gary and I pretty quickly went from being team-mates to actually being friends, and I think that showed both on and off the track. He is such a great guy, so down to earth. While I was a rookie coming into the championship, he was this legend, Gary Paffett. In my rookie year, he was the main title contender and only just missed out. In the following year, we really got to know each other after I had joined HWA. I will cherish our memories forever. There have been so many moments in our driver room that I will keep for a lifetime. I'm sure we're going to stay in contact, because we're past the point of a purely working relationship. Every time we speak, it's more as friends. We can talk for hours about anything. It's going to be sad and tough to swallow, especially as the last race in Hockenheim was a difficult one for me. I was holding back the tears on many occasions. I honestly wish we'd had a documentary crew to film my entire six years with the team.

What will you most miss about being in Germany?

Robert Wickens: Schnitzel and Oktoberfest! [laughs] No, seriously, the German fans are so passionate about motorsports. I was able to live in Germany for four years, and I have some great memories and met some great people, but the thing I'm going to miss the most is all my German colleagues. Everyone has been so helpful and supportive throughout my career. The fans are amazing. Every single race has had packed grandstands. When I think back, it just puts a big smile on my face. I'm sad to be leaving, but all the same, I'm really excited about the new challenge.

Watch Robert's farewell video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO6krPRNM30

Social Media News

#StrategyAnalysis: In the run-up to the North American double bill in the USA and in Mexico, we look back on the strategic fine points of the two races in Malaysia and Japan. On to the Pure Pit Wall race debrief!

Watch video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMEqT3t_ssY

#PitStopWarriors: It's a well-known fact that fitness plays a vital role in the success of a DTM driver. But what about the physical condition of the crew? The slightest error while performing a wheel change can be the difference between victory and defeat. We show how our guys keep fit...

Watch video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGPt1qaKV8I

Upcoming events & dates

Date	Event
Thursday 19/10/2017	F1: US Grand Prix - Media Day
Friday 20/10/2017	F1: US Grand Prix - Practice 1 & 2
Saturday 21/10/2017	F1: US Grand Prix - Practice 3 / Qualifying VLN: Nürburgring - Race
Sunday 22/10/2017	F1: US Grand Prix - Race