Time is everything

What was the most important second of your racing career?

It’s like having to choose a favourite child. But I’d say it was the victory at the 2016 Nürburgring 24-hour race. Normally, 24-hour races aren’t decided on the final lap. In this one, I managed to pull off the decisive overtaking manoeuvre on the final lap, on the toughest race track in the world. The emotions were incredibly intense, and the victory gave my career a massive boost. I was completely in the moment, and I’m grateful for that, because it meant I could simply enjoy it.

Did you always know you wanted to go into motor racing?

Actually, yes. I grew up in Monaco and watched the Grand Prix every May. In 1992 – I must have been six – my father pointed to one of the Formula 1 cars and said: “That’s a young German. Everyone says he’ll be world champion.” It was Michael Schumacher in the colourful Benetton. When I was about eleven, my father told me I had to choose between football and karting. Because if you want to become really good at something, you have to focus on one thing. Without hesitation, I said: ‘Karting.’ That was definitely the right choice.

How nervous are you before a race?

The day you no longer feel any nerves before a race is probably the day you should call it a day. Because then what you’re doing no longer matters to you. At first, you might try to suppress it, but that’s the wrong approach. You have to accept it, because it keeps you alert and focused. No sportsman in the world is free from stress or self-doubt. What matters is who deals with it best.

You’ve spent your entire career driving for Mercedes-AMG.

Yes, and I’m very proud of that. That’s very rare in motorsport these days. Next year I’ll be entering my 20th season with Mercedes-AMG. That shows the mutual respect we’ve built up over the years.

What does luxury mean to you?

Time. My performance is always measured in time, and it’s a luxury to spend it with the people you love. When your passion becomes your profession, you never have to work a day in your life. Beyond that, I love beautiful cars and beautiful watches, and I collect them with great enthusiasm.

How do you deal with moments like that?

It can be tough – I won’t sugar-coat it. When I was a junior, I carved the number one out of a block of wood and engraved ‘Never give up’ on it. That mindset has matured. Today, it’s more about always getting back up again: learning from mistakes and turning them into motivation.

What are your particular strengths behind the wheel?

Wheel-to-wheel duels, starts and the out-laps in the DTM. We leave the pit lane on cold tyres; it’s a bit like driving on ice. Every winter, I coach clients at the AMG Experience ice training course in Lapland. Drifting a car on bare ice is the ultimate art of vehicle control.

You hold the Nordschleife record for road-legal vehicles in the Mercedes-AMG ONE. What does a record lap feel like?

The Nordschleife is the Holy Grail of race tracks. A record lap is similar to a qualifying lap, but with 1,063 PS, the speeds on the straights are significantly higher than in my Mercedes-AMG GT3, and I’m driving on road-legal tyres. In 2024, we beat our own record by a further six seconds. At moments like that, I’m very analytical and focused. You could say I’m in my own little world. At some point, our CEO said: “Right, that was quick enough.” There’s no such thing as the perfect lap. The question is, though, whether you end up with less if you strive for more. You have to have respect for the Nordschleife. Otherwise, it bites back – and hard.

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