Mika Hakkinen to test Mercedes' new C-Coupe DTM car at Monteblanco
By Jamie O'Leary Monday, December 5th 2011, 13:25 GMT
Mika Hakkinen will drive Mercedes' new C-Coupe at this week's DTM test at Monteblanco.
The 1998 and '99 Formula 1 world champion made his racing comeback in a Mercedes SLS GT3 car at the Zhuhai ILMC event last month, and will on Tuesday sample a DTM car for the first time since he quit the series at the end of 2007.
"After having seen the regulations for 2012 I just had to find out what's different between the 'old' DTM AMG Mercedes C-Class and the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupe," said Hakkinen, 43.
"Thanks a lot to Norbert Haug and HWA's Gerhard Ungar for offering me the chance of testing the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupe. Having the opportunity to drive a new Mercedes always represents a major pleasure for me."
Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug said that the test was not a precursor to a full-time comeback in the series for Hakkinen.
"He has been a member of the Mercedes-Benz family since 1995 and secured two Formula 1 World Championship titles with McLaren and us to afterwards successfully compete in DTM, with Mercedes-Benz," Haug said.
"This test was a desire of both Mika and us and you shouldn't draw any further conclusions from the fact that he is going to test the car."
Mercedes confirmed that Gary Paffett, Jamie Green and Christian Vietoris will also drive at the test.
