Everything is possible, I have to go out there in a positive frame of mind and put behind me the fact that Schneider has all those years of experience. You have drivers like Alesi, Aiello, and Frentzen, and you have to put the big names out your mind and get on and do a job. They are people you have watched racing and idolised - and now you are racing them and trying to beat them.
Q:
So is it a buzz for Gary Paffett to see your name up on the timesheets with those household names?
GP:
It is, especially in the Lausitzring race when I tested well. They started off saying we were going to use the first corner of the oval, which you were approaching at 160mph and taking with only a slight lift for the corner. The speeds were incredible, and it was very different to what we had done before.
In the second test session I was sixth quickest overall, and everyone at Mercedes were looking at the time thinking ‘what is he doing?’ In the first split - the part of the circuit I was really loving - I was third quickest overall, and I was feeling it was going to be a really good weekend. I think only Aiello and Abt were quicker than me, and they ended up destroying their cars!
The day before qualifying they decided the corner wasn’t safe we weren’t going to use it - so we were back to 18th on the grid again.
It looks very good for next year and podiums are what we are looking for to start with - and race wins for later in the year. The championship has to be a serious aim. You have three major constructors, Mercedes were dominant in 2003, but Opel, and Audi with Joest Racing running a work effort, means it will be a tough season.
Q:
Now you have the association with Mercedes the DTM has to be your main priority, but do you have ticking away at the back of your mind some of the other areas of motorsport that Mercedes are involved in?
GP:
Of course - this year I had the option with Mercedes to do the DTM, so we could have done other things. We looked at
Formula One to see what was available, but it seems like you need a spare couple of million pounds to get a drive. We could have raised a bit of that money, but it doesn’t seem to have worked for some of the drivers who have gone down that route.
