Robert Wickens: “Edoardo will take our team forward”

Wickens after winning at Zandvoort this year

Robert, you're testing in Portimao this week. How's it going for you so far?
Robert Wickens: These are exciting times. I love it when we get to develop a car further, and the new regulations for the 2017 season give us a lot of possibilities in this regard. I find it incredibly thrilling. In this test week, we've set ourselves the goal of covering as many kilometer's as possible. I drove 773 km on the first day alone. Obviously, it's quite hard work, but at the same time very exciting. The new tires are performing well and should make for some thrilling racing. The car also feels good considering that we are still in the early phase of development. There are another six months until the car is homologated. That fills me confidence at the moment.

You recently competed in a kart race in Las Vegas. What was that like and how did it go?
Robert Wickens: Whenever possible, I love to get back in a kart. Fortunately, my brother has a very successful kart team in North America. That's why there is always a kart waiting for me whenever I find the time for driving or testing. I enjoyed the race in Las Vegas very much. I led the field for ten laps but missed out on the win. The level of competition in karting is incredibly high, and the guys drive really fast. For me, the main thing was to have fun and not necessarily squeeze out the last tenth. But the whole event was just great. You're in Las Vegas and you're competing on a hotel car park with the Las Vegas Strip in the background – that's something special. Hopefully I can go back next year, and maybe next time I'll win.

The Mercedes-AMG DTM Team has a new recruit in the shape of Edoardo Mortara. What do you thing of the change in the line-up?
Robert Wickens: He's a great addition to our squad. Not many people know that Edo and I were team-mates during the half season I spent in Formula 3 back in 2008. At that time, I got to know him as a very down-to-earth person and real team player. Everyone knows what a good driver he is. Before the start of every season, we always have to complete a questionnaire on who we think the main title contenders will be. We have to pick a driver from each manufacturer. For the past three years, I've been putting a tick next to Edoardo for Audi. He is one of the best drivers in the DTM, and I know from our time together as team-mates how fast he is, so I'm looking forward to working with him again. I am sure he will take our team forward.