The final pieces of the 2018 DTM Series are falling into place with Mercedes confirming four drivers to its line up.
Paul di Resta, Lucas Auer, Edoardo Mortara and Gary Paffett all remain with the Stuttgart based team for the team’s last year in the DTM.
It will also mark Paffett’s 15th DTM season with the manufacturer.
“This will be my 15th DTM season with Mercedes-AMG, but unfortunately, the last for Mercedes in this series,” said Paffett. “Preparations are well underway for 2018. We worked hard with the engineers during the winter and the team put in the same amount of effort as ever. They are really focused and we aim to round off the season with a successful result.”
Mercedes have also announced that 2015 champion Pascal Wehrlein is to return to the grid with the team. This means three champions will line up for Mercedes in their final year – Paffett (2005), di Resta (2010) and Wehrlein.
Two seats were left vacated after the decisions by Maro Engel and Robert Wickens leaving the series for other ventures.
“Fresh challenges, fresh opportunities. I’m really excited about the new season,” said di Resta. “It’s a little bit sad to think that this will be the end of an era for Mercedes in the DTM, but everyone in the team is showing that little bit of extra commitment, keen to end this final chapter on a positive note. I’ve been a part of things for four years now and really love the brand, so I hope that my fellow team members and I can deliver the best possible results this year.”
The final driver to their line up, and to the 2018 grid, will be announced soon.
