Gary Paffett was crowned the 2005 DTM champion at Hockenheim, putting the icing on the cake of a stellar season that has rewarded him with five race wins. He finished third at Hockenheim to ensure a famous series victory, and the promise of a Formula 1 test in Mercedes’ Formula 1 team, multiple world champions McLaren.

Works AMG Mercedes ace Gary ended the season 13 points ahead of former champion Mattias Ekstrom of Audi. Ekstrom needed to win the race, with Gary outside the top eight, to take the title away. But Gary made sure with a brilliant drive to finish on the podium, despite starting only sixth on the grid.

Friday’s test sessions were all about making sure he had a solid base for qualifying and race, so Gary concentrated on the set-up of his car rather than quick laptimes. He was 13th and 11th in the two sessions, but always ahead of Ekstrom, which he admitted was “a good omen for the rest of the weekend”.

Wet weather could have put the brakes on Gary’s title charge on Saturday, but he kept on track with a solid performance in qualifying. Fifth fastest in the pre-qualifying, Gary erred on the side of caution in Super Pole and would start sixth.

“I’m not happy to be only sixth on the grid, but bearing in mind where Mattias is, it’s not so bad,” said Gary. “The car felt good in qualifying, it was the drying conditions that made it difficult. I made a couple of small mistakes, but I didn’t want to push too hard because I knew where Mattias was. As well as the drivers’ championship, I’m also aware that Mercedes can seal the manufacturers’ title too, so I’ll be trying as hard as I can to deliver both on race day.”

In treacherously wet conditions, Gary made a solid start, battling with multiple F1 race winner Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the early stages. Once clear of him, Gary set his sights on the Audi of Frank Stippler, and became embroiled in an intense battle with the German Porsche Supercup champion.

Gary passed Stippler on lap 20 of the 36-lap race, and then charged after Tom Kristensen, the seven-time Le Mans winner. After a collision on the run to the hairpin on lap 26, Gary forced him into a mistake at the Mercedes Arena a few laps later and pulled away to ensure an impressive third place finish. Title rival Ekstrom struggled home in seventh, despite only making one pitstop for which he was initially excluded before being reinstated on a technicality.

“It’s an incredible feeling to win the title,” said Gary. “I was battling so hard with Stippler and Kristensen that I had no time to even think about winning it. When I crossed the finish line it felt amazing. I really wanted to make sure I was on the podium when I sealed the title, so this is a perfect end to the year.”

After the race, Mercedes motorsport chief Norbert Haug gave his word that Gary would be given a chance to impress in the McLaren-Mercedes F1 car in the near future. Norbert said: “Gary showed his class today and he is the man of the year. He deserves the title in what was a challenging and demanding year.”

Gary added: “I can savour the achievement of winning the championship and look forward to the test, because it is a step in the right direction to Formula 1, which is where I want to be eventually. Let’s see what happens. At the moment, it looks like I’ll be defending my title in the DTM, because there are no race seats available in F1 next year. That in itself will be a massive challenge for myself and the team, who I have to thank for giving me such a fantastic car this year.”