• Four teams with seven Mercedes-AMG GT3s in the 2022 DTM field 
• GruppeM Racing, HRT, WINWARD with two cars each, a single GT3 by Mücke Motorsport

Following last year’s win of the manufacturers’ championship as well as the drivers’ title by Maximilian Götz (GER), Mercedes-AMG is highly motivated for the start of the new DTM season. For a successful outcome in the prestigious sprint race series, the performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach can again rely on a high-quality line-up: like in the previous year, seven Mercedes-AMG GT3s will be competing for points and victories. Back behind the wheel are Mercedes-AMG Drivers Lucas Auer (AUT), Maximilian Buhk, Maximilian Götz (both GER) and Arjun Maini (IND). New in this year’s DTM line-up are brand ambassador Maro Engel (GER), Mikaël Grenier (CAN) and Luca Stolz (GER). Four customer teams will be running the cars: GruppeM Racing, Haupt Racing Team and WINWARD Racing are participating with two Mercedes-AMG GT3s each while Mücke Motorsport will be running one car. The DTM race calendar includes 16 sprint races at eight different tracks in Germany, Italy, Belgium, Austria and Portugal, where the season opener will be held in Portimão at the weekend from 29^th April until 1^st May.

With twelve drivers’, 14 teams’ and eight manufacturers’ title wins, Mercedes-AMG is by far the most successful brand in the DTM’s all-time statistics. In 2018, the brand temporarily said its farewell to the series with a historic triple title win, but made a successful comeback with the manufacturers’ and drivers’ titles in 2021, the inaugural season of the new GT3 regulations. Anticipation, confidence and motivation going into the 2022 DTM season are accordingly huge. To take on the task of defending the title, Mercedes-AMG, together with the customer teams, has found promising formations that also resulted into some new team-and-driver combinations.

For instance, for strategic reasons, Maximilian Götz will be moving from HRT to WINWARD Racing that managed to secure a strong third place in the DTM teams’ standings in 2021. As a result, the reigning DTM champion and third-placed of last year’s 24-hour race at the Nürburgring will become the new teammate to Lucas Auer in the second Mercedes-AMG GT3 of the team from Altendiez. With over one hundred races and seven victories, Auer ranks among the most experienced DTM drivers in the entire field. Last season, he ended up in fifth place of the drivers’ standings and scored race wins in Assen and at the Hockenheimring.

Compared to last year, Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing is going into the 2022 DTM season with one car more. New and high-class are also the drivers: Maro Engel and Mikaël Grenier will be behind the wheel of GruppeM’s two Mercedes-AMG GT3s. For Engel, one of the world’s most successful GT drivers, it is his second comeback in DTM. The AMG brand ambassador already raced in the series for Mercedes-AMG from 2008 till 2011 and in the 2017 season. Grenier, meanwhile, will be making his debut in DTM. However, as a reference, the 29-year-old can refer to a fresh Pro-Am drivers’ title in the Intercontinental GT Challenge that could give the Canadian momentum for his DTM campaign.

Mercedes-AMG Team HRT also has two strong new placements with Luca Stolz and Arjun Maini. In 2021, Stolz secured himself third place in the drivers’ standings in the two sprint race series ADAC GT Masters and GT World Challenge Europe. Moreover, he already had a considerable guest participation in DTM, in which he ranked among the top drivers right away. As the first Indian driver, Maini took on his maiden DTM season in 2021. The Mercedes-AMG Driver hinted at his huge sporting potential among others with a second-place finish in the Norisring finale.

No changes, meanwhile, for Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport: like in the previous year, the team’s GT3, a special version of the car with the electronic Space Drive steering system, will have Maximilian Buhk as its driver. The 29-year-old is one of the most experienced drivers in the Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Programme. In 2013, at the age of 20, he won the Spa 24-hour race and remains the youngest winner of this race to date.

The first official testing opportunity for the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM teams and drivers has been scheduled to take place at Hockenheimring from 4^th till 7^th April. A second testing possibility will be available at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal on 26^th and 27^th April, the venue where the first two races of the season will be held from 29^th April till 1^st May as well. In the course of the season, the teams will also be chasing points at the sprint configuration of the legendary Nürburgring, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps with its long heritage as well as Imola, Red Bull Ring, DEKRA Lausitzring and Norisring. The season finale will be held at the Hockenheimring from 7^th till 9^th October 2022. All the 16 races will be broadcast live on German TV channel ProSieben in the German-speaking region and on numerous channels all over the world.

Christoph Sagemüller, head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport: “With the manufacturers’ and drivers’ titles, we have celebrated a strong comeback in DTM last season. All in all, we were very happy with the achievements of all the teams and drivers. In the upcoming season, we want to be successful again with the Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Programme in this series with its long tradition. For our customer sports segment and the Mercedes-AMG GT3, DTM again provides a large and well-known stage to expand our brand presence this year. The four teams with their total of seven Mercedes-AMG GT3 and their promising driver line-up will again be doing everything to represent the AMG brand in the best possible way.”

Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing: “Together with our customer teams, we had a particularly successful year in DTM in 2021. With the eighth manufacturers’ championship and the twelfth title win in the drivers’ standings, we have continued the success story of our brand. I am convinced that, together with our teams and the high-quality driver line-up, we can deliver success in the new season as well. Of course, our aim is to defend our title in the manufacturers’ standings. We are all looking forward to the new season and to the next chapter of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in DTM. I wish all the teams and drivers a good start.”

Thomas Jäger, sporting director DTM: “In its debut season, DTM has shown how high the sporting aspiration of this series is. The teams and drivers involved are the absolute top level in GT racing. Accordingly, for us at Mercedes-AMG, it is an obligation to support our teams in the best possible way. Last year, we have proven in an impressive manner how performant and capable of winning our Mercedes-AMG GT3 is. But we don’t want to rest on these laurels, we remain fully committed to make our mark in this hard-fought series. Together with our customer teams, we are highly motivated going into the new season.”