Tiemann steps in for injured Maylander (updated)
DTM refugee Marcel Tiemann has been drafted in to the Eschmann Mercedes squad at Oschersleben after regular driver Bernd Maylander fractured a heel bone in a bizarre wall-vaulting accident
Maylander fell and broke the bone when jumping over a low wall on the way back to his hotel at the circuit. The 29-year-old German was immediately air-lifted to Austria for an emergency operation, but will now also miss out on his other role of FIA Safety Car driver at next weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.
"It was very bad luck for Bernd," said Mercedes sports boss Norbert Haug. "he wanted to take the short cut into the hotel and the next thing..."
Tiemann, who drove for Mercedes in the 2000 DTM, had taken a seat with Zakspeed's V8-Star team when plans for him to compete in the US-based FedEx CART Series fell through due to lack of sponsorship.
Coming in at the deep end, his first run in the car was Saturday's single 45-minute qualifying session, where he set the 15th fastest time.
"We called him, but his voice mail was on," said Haug. "He was probably watching the Champ Car race in Japan. So we got him through his father and he drove down from Hamburg. He made no mistakes in qualifying and did a very good job."
Haug said he was hoping that Maylander would make a quick recovery, but confirmed that an initial diagnosis put him on the sidelines for anything up to eight weeks.
Tiemann makes it two new drivers in Merc's 10-car fleet at Oschersleben. Formula 3000 driver David Saelens has replaced Pedro Lamy at Team Rosberg after the Portuguese driver quit the team after the Nurburgring round a fortnight ago.
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