Di Resta, Wehrlein score podiums in opening DTM weekend - MotorSportsTalk

Ex-Formula 1 driver Paul di Resta and current Mercedes AMG Petronas test driver Pascal Wehrlein both enjoyed strong starts to the 2015 DTM season by reaching the podium at Hockenheim on Saturday.

Di Resta last raced in F1 for Force India in 2013, but was dropped alongside Adrian Sutil to make way for Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez for 2014.

Unable to secure another drive, di Resta opted to move back to DTM – Germany’s premier touring car series – for 2014, where he finished 15th in the final standings with three fourth-place finishes to his name.

However, the Briton made an improved start to the year on Saturday, finishing third for Mercedes at Hockenheim behind 20-year-old Pascal Wehrlein in second place. The race was won by Audi’s Jamie Green.

“That really was a great start,” di Resta told dtm.com. “I was close to Pascal straight away and then I was able to overtake him. Unfortunately, my brakes degraded in the closing stages.

“During the winter break, we have been working hard and optimised quit a lot, but you never know where you are exactly. It is a real relief to see what we are able to achieve again with our cars.”

Di Resta was unable to repeat his podium finish on Sunday, though, finishing at the back of the field following contact with a number of drivers throughout the second race.

DTM remains one of the premier touring car championships in Europe, and is the training ground for a number of drivers bidding to reach F1 in the future such as Wehrlein and Austrian youngster Lucas Auer.

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”