NÜRBURGRING NEXT FOR PAFFETT

Gary Paffett heads to the Eifel Region this weekend for the eighth round of the 2018 DTM season and after losing his championship lead in Misano, the Mercedes-AMG star is looking to overturn his nine-point deficit.

After moving into the lead of the DTM championship standings at the fourth round of the season in Nuremberg, Gary Paffett slipped to second place at the previous round in Italy as he failed to score points during a race weekend for the first time in 2018.

Gary now heads to the Nürburgring trailing fellow Mercedes-AMG driver, Paul Di Resta, by nine points with six races remaining in the 2018 season. Gary, however, boasts the more impressive record over the season; with the most poles (four) and podiums (seven), whilst also having the joint-most wins (three) and fastest laps (two).

The Nürburgring has been a Mercedes stronghold during its 30 years in the DTM, with the brand with the three-pointed star notching up 32 wins at the Nürburgring. Gary has also tasted success in the Eifel Region, taking the top step once and reaching the podium on three occasions along with two poles.

Looking to regain the lead of the championship in his fifteenth and final season, Gary is hoping to bounce back from a disappointing weekend in Misano with a strong showing this week.

"Misano was a tough weekend for me. We had expected that to a certain degree, but it was even harder than expected in the end. Still, we were fast and on the pace. I'm very familiar with the Nürburgring and have already won there in the past. I'm now going to try to reclaim the championship lead there."

Gary’s weekend at the Nürburgring gets underway on Friday with the first practice session at 15:45 (BST). Saturday and Sunday follow the same timetable, with qualifying at 10:15, followed by the races at 12:30.