Bromley’s Gary Paffett enters this weekend’s DTM finale in an optimistic mood as he looks to round off the season in positive fashion.

The weekend’s racing marks the DTM’s second visit of the season to the Hockenheimring following the season’s opener back in May, where Paffett found himself in P5 after a close fight for a podium place.

The final race of the season sees the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team returning to one of their happiest hunting grounds, boasting the most successful record at the circuit of any of the manufacturers.

Paffett goes into the season’s finale in tenth position in the Drivers’ Championship and is hoping that a successful weekend at the German track can see him climb the rankings further. Having secured podium finishes in Zandvoort and Moscow, Gary hopes to sign off the 2016 season in style.

“Hockenheim is traditionally the last race weekend of the year. This season has been full of ups and downs as far as I’m concerned. There’s been some highlights but also some tough races, such as last time out in Budapest. Now we’re off to Hockenheim, where I aim to achieve a great deal to close the season. We’ve already raced there once this year and did well. I would like to repeat that performance and fight for a place on the podium.”

Having enjoyed a successful opening weekend at Hockenheim earlier this year, Ulrich Fritz, Head of Mercedes-AMG DTM, is hopeful that the manufacturer can end the year on a high.

“The whole team are really looking forward to delivering another strong performance this weekend in Hockenheim. Hockenheim is always a bit special for our team. The atmosphere is really unique, and we get incredible support from our fans in the Mercedes-Benz grandstand. Even if we can no longer win the drivers’ title, we think it important to inspire the fans again and round off the season with a decent result.”