DTM

Maximilian Gotz joins Mercedes for DTM

1 Mins read

Blancpain Sprint Series champion Maxmilian Gotz has moved from sportscars to a factory DTM seat as he joins Mercedes for 2015.

Securing ten wins and 32 podiums in his three years racing the Mercedes SLS GT3, the German has been brought in to strengthen the Mercedes squad racing the C63 in the series beginning in May.

Gotz certainly has had a lot of success for Mercedes, including wins at the 2013 24 Hours of Spa as well as another championship crown before the Blancpain with an ADAC GT Masters title in 2012.

The 28-year-old said: “The moment when I first found out that I will be racing in the DTM in 2015 will stay with me for a very long time. It’s a mega feeling to know that the success I achieved with different teams over the years during my time with the AMG Customer Sports Programme was being closely monitored by the racing bosses at Mercedes-Benz. It also shows that customer sport has top-class drivers and can be a great springboard to bigger things.

“It’s a little bit like a dream come true. I will be doing everything I can to achieve success in the DTM but am also aware that I have a lot to learn this season. I’m now looking forward to the first tests and to working with my new team. Everything else will then follow on from Hockenheim.”

Mercedes power has brought through a number of young drivers in the past, with drivers including Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and youngest ever winner of a DTM race Pascal Wehrlein all using Mercedes engines at some point in their careers.

That is a progression highlighted by the Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, Toto Wolff: “Max has achieved many successes with the SLS AMG GT3 in recent years. His fine performance has earned him the opportunity to join the DTM. His step up from the Mercedes-AMG Customer Sports Programme to our DTM team shows the great opportunities that are open to young and successful racing drivers with Mercedes-Benz. The three-pointed star has been promoting young racing drivers in motorsport for many years, and the Mercedes-AMG Customer Sports Programme is another opportunity to support young drivers in addition to our involvement in Formula 3.”

The 2015 DTM season starts on the first weekend of May as the championship kicks off at Hockenheim.

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