Gary Paffett

Gary Paffett ( born March 24, 1981 in Bromley, England ) is a British racing driver. In 2002 he became German Formula 3 champion. Since 2003 he starts in the DTM and won the 2005 championship title. Paffett is also active as a test driver in Formula 1 team McLaren since 2006.

Career

Like most racers began Paffett his career in karting, he carried out from 1991 to 1997. Among other things, in 1995 he became British Junior TKM Champion and European Junior ICA runner-up. He was vice-champion of the British ICA Junior Championship in 1996. In 1997 he was in the British Formula Vauxhall Junior made ​​his debut in Formula racing and immediately won the championship. 1998 continued the Briton in the B class of the Formula Vauxhall Junior. He dominated the championship, winning every race from pole position starting and also still set the fastest race lap. In 1999, Paffett part in the Formula Vauxhall and again won a championship title. For his achievements he was awarded at the end of the year with the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.

In 2000, Paffett in the national class of the British Formula 3 Championship and won the title dominant. He scored the pole position, fastest lap and win in every race. In 2001, the Englishman in the German Formula 3 Championship for Team Rosberg, the team of the Formula 1 World Champion Keke Rosberg. With a win Paffett was sixth in the overall standings. In 2002, he played for Team Rosberg his second season in the German Formula 3 and won with seven wins the championship.

In 2003, Paffett first to fire Motorsport in the international Formula 3000 championship. However, the team moved back already after a race and Paffett had no cockpit. For the third race weekend of the DTM season 2003, the British returned to the Team Rosberg and made ​​his debut in the DTM. He started with a Mercedes -Benz from the previous year, replacing Patrick Huisman. Paffett quickly found himself in touring car racing deal and was on the end of the season eleventh in the standings. He beat his teammate Stefan Mücke, who had already completed a season in the DTM clearly.

2004 moved Paffett to HWA team and received a current racing car from Mercedes -Benz. Paffett immediately won the first race on the Hockenheimring and was with three other wins runner-up behind the Audi drivers Mattias Ekström. Thus he was already in his first season in a current car best Mercedes pilot and let this his teammates Albers, Bernd Schneider and Jean Alesi behind. 2005 won the Brit with five wins the champion of the DTM in front of the last year's champion Ekström. This Paffett finished every race in the points and took as many points as his three teammates Schneider, Häkkinen and Alesi together.

After his title win Paffett, DTM and was abandoned in 2006 Formula 1 test driver for McLaren. After the two McLaren drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya left the team, it was initially speculated that Paffett would receive the second McLaren cockpit next to the world champion Fernando Alonso in 2007. However, the team opted for the GP2 champion Lewis Hamilton.

After Paffett first tried to get another Formula 1 cockpit, he was finally arrested again by McLaren test driver under contract. He also returned to the DTM. The Briton won a race car last year with Persson Motorsport. In the second race of the 2007 season at Oschersleben he had a race win. Thus, Paffett became the first driver who in a year-old car decided a DTM race for themselves. At the end of the season, he finished ninth overall.

Despite his good performances, he received the 2008 no current car and he started in a year - by Persson Motorsport Mercedes again. With some points standings, he finished at the end of the season again to ninth place in the overall standings. For the 2009 season, Paffett was again a current Mercedes- Benz and he stepped back to the HWA team. With four wins, among others, he has won the last two races of the season, Paffett was behind the Audi driver Timo Scheider runner and the best Mercedes driver.

Parallel to his involvement in DTM Paffett was in 2008 and 2009 Formula 1 test driver for McLaren. In 2010, he continued to work as a test driver for McLaren. He also had the honor in 2010 to pilot the first pilot to the new McLaren MP4 -25. In testing by the end of the season the racers took part in two days. In the DTM, the British in 2010 remained at the HWA team. With a win in the season opener at the Hockenheimring, he had a good start to the season. With two more victories at Zandvoort and Shanghai, he was at the end of the season with 67 to 71 points behind his team-mate Paul di Resta once again runner-up.

2011 Paffett went again in the DTM at the start. In contrast to his HWA teammates he finished a race on the podium and finished at the end of the season seventh overall. In addition, Paffett 2011 was a test driver for McLaren. 2012 Paffett won again for HWA starting the DTM season opener at Hockenheim. After a second place finish in the second race, he scored the second win of the season at Brands Hatch. In the first four races he always stood on the podium. Paffett led the championship in the season finale. In this he was second behind Bruno Spengler, who thus decided the overall standings for themselves. Paffett was second overall behind Spengler with 145 to 149 points and was the best Mercedes driver. It was the third time in the last four years, which was Paffett second in the drivers' standings. In addition, he stayed in 2012 Formula 1 test driver for McLaren. He also took on the task of reserve driver for Force India at a Grand Prix.

2013 remained in the DTM Paffett at HWA. He won the race at the Euro Speedway Lausitz. At the end of the season, he finished sixth overall. In addition, he continues to exert the test driver position at McLaren. Paffett is on the DTM 2014 Mercedes- Benz subcontract.

Personal

Paffett is married and father of three sons.

Statistics

Career stations

  • 2005: DTM ( Master )
  • 2006: Formula 1 ( test driver )
  • 2007: DTM ( 9th place)
  • 2007: Formula 1 ( test driver )
  • 2008: DTM ( 9th place)
  • 2008: Formula 1 ( test driver )
  • 2009: DTM ( 2nd place)
  • 2009: Formula 1 ( test driver )
  • 2010: DTM ( 2nd place)
  • 2010: Formula 1 ( test driver )
  • 2011: DTM ( 7th place)
  • 2011: Formula 1 ( test driver )
  • 2012: DTM ( 2nd place)
  • 2012: Formula 1 ( test driver )
  • 2013: DTM ( 6th place)
  • 2013: Formula 1 ( test driver )

Individual results in the DTM

1 The race in Shanghai did not count for the championship.

2003 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season Mercedes-Benz in motorsport 2005 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season German Formula Three Championship Pole-Position British Formula Three Championship List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions 2003 International Formula 3000 season 2004 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season Christijan Albers Bernd Schneider (racing driver) 2006 Formula One season 2007 Formula One season GP2 Series 2007 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season 2008 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season 2009 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season McLaren MP4-25 2010 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season Circuit Park Zandvoort Shanghai Street Circuit 2011 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season 2011 Formula One season 2012 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season 2012 Formula One season 2013 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season 2008 Formula One season 2009 Formula One season 2010 Formula One season 2013 Formula One season Adria International Raceway Norisring Donington Park Red Bull Ring Autódromo do Estoril Masaryk Circuit Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Mugello Circuit Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Dijon-Prenois Circuit Ricardo Tormo Moscow Raceway Did not finish BMW in motorsport Dirk Werner Augusto Farfus Joey Hand Andy Priaulx Martin Tomczyk Timo Glock Marco Wittmann Roberto Merhi Christian Vietoris Robert Wickens Daniel Juncadella Pascal Wehrlein Edoardo Mortara Filipe Albuquerque Jamie Green Adrien Tambay Mike Rockenfeller Miguel Molina Deutsche Tourenwagen-Meisterschaft Kurt Thiim Eric van de Poele Klaus Ludwig Roberto Ravaglia Hans-Joachim Stuck 1991 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft season Frank Biela 1992 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft season 1993 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft season 1994 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft season Manuel Reuter 2000 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season 2001 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season 2002 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season 2006 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season
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