Tom Kalender, at 18, just missed the DTM victory
The German racer only debutted in the DTM championship last year. His first season was tough, but on Sunday at the Nurburgring he got up.
The sixth enterprise of the DTM season was in the Eifel Mountains: On Sunday, 18-year-old Tom Kalender, together with the Mercedes-AMG Landgraf team, won his first position on the stage of the DTM winners. The Junior Mercedes-AMG started from the eleventh position and performed a flawless race in which he finished second.
"Congratulations to Tom, who gave a very strong and flawless performance. Especially in the final stages he did not let himself get under pressure, attacked fairly and well used his advantages in tyres. He deserved a place on the podium. On the other hand, penalization for Jules and the resignation of Mara and Lucas were a great disappointment - from our point of view, of course, it is the worst-case scenario and extremely frustrating. Now we must focus on the upcoming races and remain focused to keep our chances in all three championships," says Thomas Jäger, sports manager of DTM, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport.
Even Saturday was difficult for the German brand. Kalender retired from the race after a collision with Nick Thiim, who complained about "dirty tactics" by Mercedes.
Sunday she threw Kalender's glove towards the stage, with the race a few laps longer, the victory probably wouldn't wait. In the end, the pilot surpassed the beautiful maneuver of the 2023 season champion Thomas Preining.
"Today was a mega day. My first position on the stage of the DTM winners - it just feels amazing. I have not always been lucky on my side this season and I have had to deal with many failures and resignations, some of which were not my fault. That's why it's the most special thing for me today. I would like to thank all my team Landgraf and Mercedes-AMG for this," says the young man at the finish line.