Preparations for the new DTM season are in full swing. The Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM Team completed the second of three rounds of testing this week in Vallelunga, Italy (14–16 March), in the run-up to the season opener at Hockenheim. Robert Wickens, Gary Paffett and Edoardo Mortara were at the wheel, and between them, the three DTM race winners posted 518 laps, equating to 2,116 km, of the Autodromo Vallelunga.

Robert Wickens kicked off the test week on Tuesday. “That was quite a nice birthday present,” said the Canadian, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Monday 13th March. Posting 140 laps of the circuit put the biggest smile imaginable on his face to mark his special day as he gathered valuable information and data for the upcoming season. “We had our own programme and are pretty happy with it. We managed to check off every box on our list.”

The team draw on the data from more than 4,218 test kilometres after the first two weeks of testing in Portimão and Vallelunga. Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM Ulrich Fritz commented: “The team have some very taxing weeks and months behind them, but their hard work has paid off so far with plenty of kilometres posted and data collected during two successful weeks of testing.

Final touches in Affalterbach.

The team will continue with preparations for the new season at the factory in Affalterbach. While the final touches are being made to the programme for final week of testing in Hockenheim (3–6 April), preparations are already under way for the season opener at the Hockenheimring, 5–7 May, by which time six cars plus spare parts need to be ready.