09.04.2012 Schumacher, model and mentor of the Junior Team. - Concesur Group
Stuttgart - Mercedes-Benz is expanding its successful young driver program in 2012 with the creation of a structure for the German Touring Car Championship (DTM). Christian Vietoris (Germany, 22, Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Coupé, HWA); Roberto Merhi (Spain, 20, Mercedes-Benz Service / Stern AMG C-Coupé, Persson Motorsport); and Robert Wickens (Canada, 22, Junge Strenet / GQ Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, Mücke Motorsport) will compete in the world's most famous touring car championship at the controls of the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé as members of the Mercedes-Benz Junior Team.
Michael Schumacher will act as role model and mentor for the Junior Team. The veteran MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 driver will share all the experience gained from his seven world titles and 91 victories. Schumacher himself knows the benefits of the Mercedes-Benz young driver program well, having been part of it in 1990 and 1991 alongside Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger competing for Sauber Mercedes in the Sports Prototype Championship. Both Schumacher, Frentzen (156 Grand Prix races, three victories and runner-up in 1997) and Wendlinger (41 Grand Prix races) made the jump to Formula 1.
Encouraging promising young motorsport talents is a tradition at Mercedes-Benz. Since the inauguration of the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2003, 13 drivers have made their way to Formula 1 after having previously trained on a Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engine. In fact, 33% of this year's Formula 1 grid took their first steps in Formula 3 with Mercedes-Benz engines, including current champion Sebastian Vettel, former champion Lewis Hamilton, 2010 DTM champion Paul Di Resta, and drivers such as Kamui Kobayashi, Romain Grosjean, Nico Hülkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo and Bruno Senna.
The Mercedes-Benz young driver program has accumulated another series of successes in motor racing. For example, of the nine Mercedes-Benz DTM drivers last season, a total of five - more than half - had competed in Formula 3 with our engines.
In 2012 we will have three promising 20-year-olds in our DTM Junior Team: Roberto Merhi, current Formula 3 Euro Series champion; Christian Vietoris, GP2 champion who already has DTM experience; and Robert Wickens, winner of the Renault World Series. All of them have the potential to make the most of this opportunity.
Roberto, Christian and Robert have a lot to learn, but that won't be a problem as all three are putting in the hard work. Youth is the DTM's flagship factor, especially now that the competition will pit the three most successful manufacturers in the world against each other.
Source: Mercedes-Benz Spain.