Bruno Spengler expects stronger Paffett in 2013 DTM season
New DTM champion Bruno Spengler believes that Gary Paffett will be an even stronger rival for next year's title following his dramatic final-race defeat at Hockenheim on Sunday
BMW driver Spengler began the season finale three points behind Paffett, who had led the standings since the beginning of the year, but won at Hockenheim to take his first tin-top title by just four points.
The duo were involved in four head-to-head battles for victories during the year, with Paffett emerging triumphant at Brands Hatch and Spengler winning at Lausitz, Oschersleben and Hockenheim.
After helping BMW and Schnitzer to the manufacturers' and teams' titles to add to his drivers' crown, he praised his rival for this year's contest.
"It's really hard to lead the championship for the whole season and then lose," Spengler said. "I know; it's happened to me a couple of times.
"At one point in the year I almost thought there's no point in thinking about the championship, he was so far ahead. But he had some bad luck in some of the races and we were able to catch him.
"He's a terrific racer though and he'll keep fighting. I think he will be even stronger next year so I look forward to more great battles."
Spengler said that his rivalry with Paffett this year, especially coming after three seasons as HWA Mercedes team-mates, had been one of the best of his DTM career, and praised the Briton for his driving during 2012.
"He's a really fair racer and an honest guy. If you talk about crossing the line [of what's acceptable driving] he will always tell you exactly what he thinks. Never bullshit," Spengler continued.
"I enjoyed being in a team with him, but I also enjoy it when I beat him. We had some great battles this year."
Hockenheim DTM: Bruno Spengler wins title in BMW's comeback year
DTM to make Russian debut with 2013 Moscow race
Castroneves: “Too early” to think about potential replacement by Blomqvist
Four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves says it’s too soon to consider Meyer Shank Racing might want to swap him to the IMSA squad and bring Tom Blomqvist over to IndyCar.
Why some DTM teams take out crash insurance but others gamble
The 2022 DTM season featured several major pile-ups and accidents, costing teams several hundred thousands in repair costs. While some had insured cars against such damage, others weren’t so well prepared…
Ricciardo: Australian GP buzz will tell me a lot about F1 comeback
Red Bull third driver Daniel Ricciardo says attending his home grand prix in Melbourne will likely tell him whether he wants to make a full-time comeback to Formula 1 or not.
Kirkwood admits he overdrove as an IndyCar rookie
Kyle Kirkwood admits he was overdriving at AJ Foyt Racing in 2022 and is expecting to rebuild his reputation at Andretti Autosport.
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
Nyck de Vries’s Italian GP exploits weren’t the first post-eleventh-hour call-up in motorsport history, and won’t be the last either. Here are some offbeat tales from the past
The longest-serving Red Bull driver revealing F1’s true brutality
His day of days in Formula 1 came at Indianapolis in 2005, a day grand prix racing strives to forget. But Patrick Friesacher, the long-serving Red Bull lieutenant, remains active today driving a two-seater that provides ordinary people with a glimpse of an F1 car’s savage potential, including this writer...
How the DTM has come back stronger from its Norisring nadir
OPINION: Questionable driving standards and farcical team orders meant the DTM's first season under GT3 regulations ended under a cloud. But the organisation has responded firmly by banning team orders and welcomed new manufacturers, making for an intriguing season ahead as new and returning names prepare for battle
The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics
Over two decades as a factory driver with Audi and BMW, Martin Tomczyk earned the respect of team-mates and rivals as a hard but fair racer. After calling time on his racing career, the 2011 DTM champion sat down with Autosport to look back
The other Hamilton conqueror seeking career revival
On his rise through the ranks before reaching Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton was usually a cut above the rest. But he never truly asserted himself over a Mercedes-backed fellow Briton who traded single-seaters for touring cars and is now seeking new opportunities after a year largely spent on the sidelines
How the DTM's shambolic finale poses awkward future questions
OPINION: The scenes at the Norisring as Mercedes used blatant team orders to secure the first DTM title of the new GT3 era totally undermined the credibility of the championship. But as well as overshadowing the season, it also presents uncomfortable questions to series bosses about the direction it is headed in
How Audi's new DTM star is channeling Rast to achieve his "childhood dream"
Having learned the ropes in GT3 alongside Rene Rast, Kelvin van der Linde is in line to take up the three-time champion's baton as Audi's new DTM king. From humble origins in South Africa, it's been a remarkable journey so far for the current series leader, but he knows that the 2021 title is a long way from settled just yet
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.