With his third title triumph in just four years,
In the DTM's eternal list of best drivers,
How does this sound: three-time DTM champion and on a par with a legend like
Of course, it is a very special feeling to be among the three best DTM drivers in history. I would never have dreamed of that myself. I only joined the DTM four years ago. To already be among the best DTM drivers in history is incredible. That hasn't really sunk in for me yet either. You will probably only really notice this when you are a bit older and look back on what you have done in the past.
There are many people who are involved in winning a DTM title. Who do you especially want to thank?
To start with, of course, my father, my mother, my sister - everyone in my family who used to travel with me to the races. The people who have gone through all of this and supported me. Especially my father, who was always travelling with his motorhome. In 2005, my manager (
How did you spend the days after winning the title?
Relatively quietly. I only spent one day at Bilster Berg and had appointments with partners there. Otherwise, I was at home and enjoyed the time with my family. I tried to relax for a few days. It was a very busy year after all. You have to work through all the things that have been left behind at home.
How many congratulations did you receive after winning the title? Any congratulations that particularly surprised you?
I received a lot of messages. You have to work through that first. I didn't count them, but I estimate that with
You are planning to buy some of your DTM-winning cars. What is the status? What do you plan to do with the cars?
Yes and no. The championship winning-cars always go to the Audi museum. I intend to buy at least one car from each generation in which I became champion. As a souvenir, I would like to have a car with the V8 engine, the 2017 model, and a car with the four-cylinder turbo. We are still in talks about how this can be done.
How much pressure was there at the Hockenheim finale after
Saturday morning, I felt more pressure. We didn't really know then how strong we were and whether
How much does it hurt that the Class 1 era of the DTM is over after such a short time?
It hurts a lot. These were great racing cars - true prototypes and really fast. At Spa, they were not far away from Formula 2 in terms of lap times. It's very difficult to put these cars in a museum after only two years, but we simply have to be happy and satisfied that we were allowed to drive such race cars at all.
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