Götz is the new DTM champion

Mercedes-AMG is celebrating the DTM drivers’ title win by Maximilian Götz (GER), who managed to win both races in the 2021 DTM season finale at Norisring. On Saturday, Götz drove his #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Mercedes-AMG Team HRT to a commanding win.

Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed’s Arjun Maini (IND) rounded out the 1-2 for the performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach by finishing second. After a thrilling final race on Sunday, Götz was crowned as the DTM drivers’ champion for the first time by virtue of his second win of the weekend.

Lucas Auer (AUT) and Maximilian Buhk (GER) completed the clean sweep of the top three for Mercedes-AMG in the second race. The weekend before, Mercedes-AMG had already secured the title of the best manufacturer in this year’s DTM.

• Maximilian Götz, Mercedes-AMG Team HRT, is the new DTM champion
• Mercedes-AMG crowned as the best manufacturer of the 2021 DTM
• Race 1 & 2: victories for Maximilian Götz, Mercedes-AMG Team HRT
• Race 1: second place for Arjun Maini, Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed
• Race 2: second and third place by Lucas Auer and Maximilian Buhk

For its eagerly awaited season finale, DTM visited the only street circuit on the series’ schedule this year. At 2.3 kilometres, the Norisring in Nuremberg is the shortest circuit, but with its Armco barriers and walls still a challenge for the high-class drivers’ field.

For the first race on Saturday, Lucas Auer (AUT) got himself the best starting grid position with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with third place in qualifying. However, Arjun Maini, title candidate Maximilian Götz, Philip Ellis (SUI) and Daniel Juncadella (ESP) were following closely in fourth to seventh place on the grid – all of them positions wit a good perspective for the opening race in the afternoon.

After the first hairpin following the start of the race, the order at the front was mixed up entirely: with the #57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by Mercedes-AMG Team WINWARD, Ellis found a way through the turmoil and moved up into first place. Götz also made up a position and took over second position on lap seven, having overtaken the championship leader.

Three laps later, the Franconian also went past his fellow Mercedes-AMG driver Ellis and from then on, he controlled the race at his home track from the lead. However, Ellis, who celebrated his 29^th birthday, had bad luck after one third of the race distance: running in second place, his car with starting number 57 was hit by an opponent, spun and dropped back a few positions.

Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed’s Arjun Maini had more luck, now running second behind Götz corrected for pit stops after the mandatory tyre changes, successfully defending this position against the attacks by the opposition until the end of the race and securing the first-ever DTM podium success for himself and the GetSpeed team.

Meanwhile, unchallenged and in a commanding way, Maximilian Götz crossed the finish line after 67 laps of the track at the Dutzendteich and celebrated his second win of the season. The stalwart was third in the drivers’ standings and reduced the gap to the points’ leader to 19 points prior to the day of the finale.

With a victory on Sunday, the possibility to be crowned the DTM champion, given the conditions, therefore remained in place. Lucas Auer (P6), Daniel Juncadella (P7), Maximilian Buhk (P9) and Philip Ellis (P10) rounded out a strong performance by the Mercedes-AMG Teams on Saturday with their top 10 results.

Race 2: A clean sweep of the top three for Mercedes-AMG and the DTM drivers’ title for Maximilian Götz

For the final race of the year on Sunday afternoon, Auer had again secured the best starting grid position of all the Mercedes-AMG GT3s with fourth place in qualifying. Next up were Ellis, Juncadella and Maini in fifth to seventh place. Title candidate Götz had to make do with eighth place on the grid.

However, like in the first race already, the pack was reshuffled after the first corner: following a collision between the second-placed driver and the leader in the championship standings, the latter considerably dropped back while the opponent was handed a five-second penalty.

With a race win, there was now a chance to win the DTM drivers’ title for Götz, who found himself in fourth place after the start and came into the pits for the tyre change on lap 17.

At the front of the field, Mercedes-AMG took the lead after the turmoil in the opening stages with Auer and Ellis and controlled proceedings. After 52 laps, the phase that decided the championship battle set in: the title candidate, now leading, returned in the field after his pit stop and having served his five-second time penalty right ahead of Götz. Both drivers would have needed a race win to seal the title.

A thrilling battle for what initially was third place was the result. On lap 53, Götz made an attempt to overtake, but there was contact, inflicted by his opponent, and a puncture for the rival was the consequence. Götz took over third place. Ahead of him, fellow Mercedes-AMG driver Ellis dropped back because of a penalty and Götz took over the lead from Auer just before the end and after 67 laps, he was crowned as the 2021 DTM champion.

In the final drivers’ standings, Götz is three points ahead of the second-placed. Auer in second place and Buhk (Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport) in third completed the lock-out of the top three for Mercedes-AMG in the final race of the year.

At Hockenheimring the weekend before, Mercedes-AMG already had secured the title for the best manufacturer in the 2021 DTM. Now, following the conclusion of the season at Norisring, Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing, collected the trophy for the best manufacturer. In this classification, the results of the best three cars of each manufacturer are taken into account after every race. 18 times, a Mercedes-AMG GT3 finished on the podium this season, including victory on six occasions.

Philipp Schiemer, managing director, Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “Congratulations to our Mercedes-AMG Customer Teams and Drivers, who have been representing our brand in the first year of DTM with GT3 cars in a sensational way.  Securing the manufacturers’ title and the drivers’ championship in the inaugural season right away shows that our customer racing system ranks among the best. I am very happy for Maximilian Götz that he was able to score two wins and thus also the championship here in his home race. That was a legendary conclusion of a very exciting season.”

Christoph Sagemüller, head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport: “After last weekend at Hockenheimring, we at Mercedes-AMG Motorsport were already very happy with the DTM manufacturers’ title, of course. The fact that the DTM drivers’ title could also be added in this heart-stopping finale is great and is making us all very delighted. Congratulations to Maximilian Götz and Mercedes-AMG Team HRT on this outstanding success! Special thanks also go out to our drivers, Mercedes-AMG Teams and all those behind the scenes who have contributed to this successful DTM season with the Mercedes-AMG GT3!”

Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing: “The fact that the first title in the new GT3 era in DTM is going to Mercedes-AMG is historic for us. I can hardly express how happy we all are with this success. My sincere thanks go out to our drivers and the Mercedes-AMG Teams that have contributed to Mercedes-AMG securing the manufacturers’ title. Congratulations in particular to the entire Mercedes-AMG Team HRT and Maximilian Götz on the 2021 DTM drivers’ title. Many thanks to everyone involved who has contributed to this huge success. A big compliment also goes out to those responsible in DTM with Gerhard Berger at the helm, who have been doing an outstanding job this year.”

Maximilian Götz, #4 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT: “Unbelievable, I am the 2021 DTM champion and Mercedes-AMG is the best manufacturer of the Saison. I still can’t believe it. This is the biggest moment in my career to date, I will extensively enjoy it. Thanks to Mercedes-AMG and the entire Mercedes-AMG Team HRT – had it not been for you, this success wouldn’t have been possible!”

Arjun Maini, #36 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed: “In the past weekends, our speed was getting better and better and here at Norisring, this has been converted into a tangible result. On Saturday, the pit stop was the decisive factor. I am incredibly happy with this second place! It is unbelievable that I was allowed to stand up there on the podium.”

Result race 1, DTM, Norisring¹:

 ¹ subject to confirmation by the organiser

Result race 2, DTM, Norisring¹:

¹ subject to confirmation by the organiser