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Emma catches up with DTM and McLaren F1 reserve/test driver Gary Paffett
Q) It is your seventh season competing in DTM. You won the Championship in only your second year in 2005. How is your 2010 season going so far?
A) It started really well with a win at Hockenheim and since then I have scored points in every race and also finished on the podium at the last race at the Nurburgring.
I am currently 3rd in the Championship and still in with a chance of winning the Championship so I would say that I am pretty pleased with how things have gone so far.
In the second half of the season I will be looking to build on the points that I have scored so far so that I can begin to challenge for the title.
Q) What is your goal for the 2010 DTM season?
A) My goal, as always, is to win or at least be in a strong position to be able to fight for the Championship. This has to be the aim for everybody competing (both the drivers and everyone involved in the teams) and I always start the season with this mentality.
Q) What made you decide to compete in DTM rather than one of the many other racing series out there?
A) The DTM is a great series with two of the world’s biggest motorsport manufacturers and a large array of very talented drivers which makes it one of the most competitive Championships around.
Q) Which is your favourite DTM race on the calendar and why?
A) Brands Hatch is always great as it is my home race and I get a massive amount of support from the home crowd. Other than that, I especially enjoy to race at Zandvoort, Norisring, and Hockenheim.
Q) This season, DTM will be expanding into Asia with the final race taking part in Shanghai. What are your thoughts on this new addition to the calendar?
A) It’s great to see DTM spreading into other continents. We raced in Shanghai in 2004 and it was amazing to race a DTM car around the streets of Shanghai so it will be good to return there at the end of the year.
Q) What kind of training/nutrition programme do you have to follow as a DTM driver?
A) Driving these cars for 70 minutes during a race is really tough on your body, mainly because of the heat generated inside the car. You have to have good strength endurance as well as a good level of cardiovascular fitness. A lot of long cardio session either on a bike, rowing machine and sometimes running and medium sized weights for a large amount of repetitions is a basic guideline for a DTM driver’s fitness programme. As well as a good core stability workout for your torso and back muscles.
Q) As well as racing in DTM, you are also the McLaren F1 reserve and test driver. Do these two roles complement each other in any way and do you ever find it difficult to balance the two roles?
A) The only difficulty is the amount of time I spend away from home and the amount of travelling. Otherwise it’s great to be able to work with two great racing teams in two different top level Championships. Both cars and teams are at the top of their respective categories in motorsport and I am very thankful to McLaren and Mercedes for making it possible for me to be able to do them both.
Q) As a driver, what are the main differences between driving a DTM car and an F1 car?
A) The DTM car has a roof for a start!! The other main differences are the weight and power of the cars. The DTM car is around 400kg heavier than the F1 car and has about 200bhp less than the F1 car. The driving style itself is quite similar that's why I find it fairly easy to change between the two during the season.
Q) What is your plan for 2011?
A) At the moment I am concentrating heavily on the 2010 season and focusing on doing the best job I can in DTM and F1. It is still an ambition of mine to race in F1 so if an opportunity presented itself for 2011 then I would of course be very interested in that.
Otherwise, I am really enjoying having the opportunity to race in DTM as well as be a test and reserve driver in F1, so I hope to be able to continue to work with McLaren and Mercedes in similar roles to this year. by Emma Stonier Girlracer magazine
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