PANAJI: India’s Arjun Maini, who has been announced as a Mercedes-AMG Driver, will race for the Mercedes-AMG Performance Team GetSpeed in the upcoming 2021 DTM season at the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG GT3, which will consist of 8 Rounds with 16 races across Germany / Europe.
The 23-year-old former Haas F1 Team Development Driver, who is currently backed by JK Racing, will compete in the series and will become the first Indian to compete in DTM full-time, adding to his burgeoning list of firsts for Indians in motorsport.
“I am absolutely delighted to be driving for Mercedes-AMG with Getspeed in DTM. My first real experience of the championship came in 2015 when I was competing in Formula 3 and we drove on the same weekend as DTM. The Atmosphere was something I had never experienced before. I feel privileged to finally live out one of my dreams. The series enjoys a fine reputation around the world and is the perfect opportunity for me to test myself against rapid GT3 drivers. The icing on the cake is obviously the fact that I will be racing in the championship with one of the best Car brands on the planet. Mercedes-AMG needs no introduction and I’m looking forward to what I hope will be a long and successful partnership,” said Maini.
Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said: “It’s a moment of immense pride and excitement for us at Mercedes-Benz India, that Arjun Maini is participating in the upcoming 2021 DTM season, driving the thrilling Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Mercedes-AMG Performance Team GetSpeed. He will be the first Indian to compete in the DTM and it is highly satisfying to see Indian racers making their impressive mark by competing against the very best of motorsports talents across the world. At the highest levels of internationally acclaimed motorsports events like the DTM, this accomplishment by Arjun is indeed inspiring for aspiring and budding motorsports talents in the country.”
GetSpeed Performance operates from the business park at the Nürburgring and will line up in the DTM in the 2021 season.
The venture into the DTM heralds a new chapter for GetSpeed. “This is the first time we have been able to focus exclusively on one driver in the car in a performance-oriented series,” says team Principal Adam Osieka. “This is a very pleasant situation, as we have previously always had to juggle the drivers’ different preferences in one car at endurance races. In the DTM, there is no need to make compromises. I am expecting exciting races and top-class motorsport.”
Maini started his racing career on the karting scene in 2006. He won the Indian junior championship in 2011 and took part in the ‘One from a Billion ‘Hunt, which was run by former Formula 1 team Force India. As the winner, he was given the opportunity to race karts in Europe. In 2013, he switched to single-seater racing, in which he enjoyed success in the F4 British Championship. He ended the season in second place, just three points behind teammate and current Formula 1 driver George Russell. 23-year-old Maini’s career took him, via the Formula 3 European Championship and the GP3 Series, into the FIA Formula 2 Championship, in which he drove in 2018 and 2019. In 2019/2020, he raced in the European Lemans Series and in the 24 Hours of Lemans. In the Asian Le Mans Series, the team won the LMP2-at the 4-hour race in Shanghai, in Class.
GetSpeed Performance has been a permanent fixture on the international GT3 scene since 2019. The racing outfit from Meuspath, near the Nürburgring, has its roots firmly in the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. Since 2013, the team has enjoyed success in the Nürburgring Endurance Series and at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Two years ago, the team switched to Mercedes-AMG and GetSpeed became an official Performance Team after just one year. As well as outings on the Nordschleife, the team has also contested races in the GT World Challenge Europe, International GT Open and the German GT4 Championship over the past two years.
The DTM will feature GT3 cars for the first time in 2021. A race weekend comprises two free practice sessions on the Friday, followed by a qualifying and a one-hour race – including a pit stop – on both the Saturday and the Sunday. The opening round of the season takes place from 18th to 20th June 2021 in Monza, Italy. The series then visits the Norisring (2nd to 4th July), Lausitzring (23rd to 25th July), Zolder (6th to 8th August), Nürburgring (20th to 22nd August), Red Bull Ring (3rd to 5th September) and Assen (17th to 19th September), before the Hockenheimring hosts the grand finale from 1st to 3rd October.
