GT racing star Daniel Juncadella has mentioned the DTM was once so political previously that it “destroyed his profession in a means”.
Juncadella was a part of Mercedes’ manufacturing facility programme within the DTM for 5 seasons between 2013 and 2018, initially racing for Mucke Motorsport earlier than touchdown a drive at HWA.
This was an period the place producers exercised absolute management over their groups and drivers, with Mercedes, BMW and Audi placing their whole weight behind who they thought can be their greatest wager for the championship.
This often pressured different drivers of their line-ups to play a supporting position, leaving them with a bitter style of their mouth about their time within the collection.
The strategies utilized by producers to govern the outcomes have been additionally controversial, however many additionally thought-about it as half and parcel of Germany’s largest championship.
Juncadella has now established himself as one of many high GT drivers of his era, with an general victory in Spa 24 Hours, in addition to class wins in Daytona 24 Hours and Petit Le Mans.
#79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG GT3: Cooper MacNeil, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon, Maro Engel and Frank Kelleher
Picture by: Richard Dole / Motorsport Photographs
However the 33-year-old revealed that the beginning of his profession as an expert driver was extremely robust, prompting him to hunt a sports activities psychologist to work on his confidence points.
“Since 2018, which is sort of late in my profession, I began working with a sports activities psychologist and focussed on these items,” he mentioned in a podcast hosted by fellow racers Laurens and Dries Vanthoor.
“That was an enormous turning level in my profession as a result of my profession has been a bit up and down in lots of, a few years. After these profitable years in F3, I made a decision to go the best way of DTM and DTM additionally destroyed my profession in a means with politics.
“I by no means actually understood why some choices have been made in come what may and for 5 years I had no outcomes. You might be superb, you are able to do good in lots of elements, but when the outcomes aren’t coming, it simply breaks you.
“After I began working with a sports activities psychologist, it modified my notion quite a bit on learn how to take care of the insecurity.”
Juncadella received the 2012 Euro Components 3 title as a Mercedes junior and was initially set to step as much as GP2 with Rapax the next yr.
Nevertheless, delays in fee from his sponsor Astana pressured him to desert these plans and settle for a proposal from the Stuttgart-based producer to race within the DTM.
However throughout his time as a manufacturing facility Mercedes driver within the collection, which yielded only one victory and a greatest end of fifteenth within the standings, Juncadella felt he was by no means going to be given a good probability to show his value.
Daniel Juncadella, Mercedes-AMG Staff HWA, Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM
The psychological toll of DTM was additionally such that he crashed a Components 1 automobile throughout an FP1 look on the 2014 Brazilian Grand Prix, forcing Power India’s common driver Sergio Perez to overlook a whole day’s working.
“For me, it destroyed my profession in a means,” he reiterated. “I am actually completely happy the place I’m proper now however [in] these five-six years I actually, actually struggled.
“These have been additionally the times the place I used to be a reserve driver for Power India in Components 1 and I ended up crashing in a free follow as a result of mentally I used to be simply destroyed. I couldn’t take care of it.
“Now once I hear the phrase DTM, I am already panicking. I do not even wish to hear it. I am unable to actually inform [from] BMW, Audi, Mercedes again within the day, what’s worse and what’s extra political.
“However with Mercedes it was onerous. It was very onerous as a result of I felt like I used to be by no means going to be given the possibility – and it is not likely true. For positive, you’d get the possibility, I believed that myself once I was there. [But] in case you have a thought that’s simply destructive, it is by no means going to go away.”
After grand prix winner Ralf Schumacher made a late choice to step down from the DTM, Mercedes promoted Juncadella’s former F3 rival Pascal Wehrlein – one other one in all its junior drivers – to the vacant seat at Mucke Motorsport.
This created a group of two promising younger abilities, however Juncadella revealed that Mercedes had already determined their destiny earlier than the beginning of the season.
“We had a group constructing day collectively someplace in Germany on a ship in a lake, along with the group proprietor, group supervisor and the engineers,” the Spaniard recalled.
Daniel Juncadella, Power India VJM07 Mercedes, climbs out of his automobile after hitting the barrier.
Picture by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Photographs
“We get alongside a little bit bit and that is simply earlier than the primary race weekend. Wehrlein simply did one take a look at however he was flying, he was tremendous fast. However they mentioned to us, ‘The goal for us this yr might be round P15, P14’.
“And we [Wehrlein and I] are one another like, ‘what? What do you imply? I’ve simply received F3, the child is in his second yr main F3. Why do we have to goal P14, P15?’. And it is out of 20 vehicles.”
Juncadella revealed an occasion the place Mercedes allegedly faked a low-fuel scenario to stop Wehrlein from finishing his quickest lap in qualifying, simply because it seemed just like the German would knock Gary Paffett out of This autumn.
“There was one race in Norisring which was unimaginable,” he mentioned. “Again within the day, DTM had this qualifying format, which was Q1, Q2, Q3, Q3, This autumn. Q3. There have been the highest 4 going ahead to This autumn.
“We made Q1, we made Q2. After which it is Q3 and it is 10 vehicles. Gary Paffett was within the hunt for the championship. It was nonetheless early days, just like the fourth race of the yr.
“I feel Paffett was P4 and Wehrlein was on a purple sector 2. They [Mercedes] opened the radio and mentioned ‘field, field, field, we now have no gasoline, that you must field, we’re going to be disqualified’.
“He did not end the lap as a result of he was in all probability going to enter This autumn and drop Paffett to P5. So that they boxed him and I feel he completed P5 and I used to be P8.”
Throughout the identical weekend, Juncadella was not directly instructed to remain behind race chief Paffett regardless of having a tyre benefit over the Briton.
This probably value Mercedes a victory within the DTM’s blue riband spherical, as each Paffett and Juncadella misplaced time and have been overtaken by different drivers later within the race.
Gary Paffett, Mercedes-AMG Staff ART, Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM
Picture by: Alexander Trienitz
Audi’s Mattias Ekstrom ultimately claimed victory however was later disqualified for the notorious watergate incident.
“[Paffett] was on the onerous tyres as a result of they tousled the technique and I used to be catching him three tenths per lap,” Juncadella defined.
“Sooner or later I used to be on his ass. I opened the radio and I requested what will we do now? They mentioned to me to defend your team-mate. They could not actually say ‘keep behind’ as a result of there have been guidelines [against it]. So that they mentioned, ‘defend your team-mate’. I seemed within the mirror and there was no one behind.
“I used to be simply driving behind pondering I might simply take away the radio, overtake the man, win my first DTM race ever, be a hero for right now, however within the long-term, it isn’t gonna repay.
“I might see the Audis, the BMWs beginning to come. Then [Edoardo] Mortara arrives, overtakes me and so they begin preventing like loopy. They hit a bit and Mortara performs it a bit soiled with Paffett and the following nook Paffett simply utterly drills him – large shunt and [both] out of the race.
“I am simply sitting pondering, this man [Paffett], I’ve simply stayed behind for 20 laps and throwing away my win, and he simply shunted with the man [Mortara] as a result of he was pissed off at one thing.”
After Mercedes’ exit from the DTM after 2018, Juncadella spent one other season within the collection as a part of the brand new R-Motorsport Aston Martin enterprise. He returned to the collection with Mercedes in 2021 upon the adoption of GT3 guidelines, scoring a podium on the Nurburgring.
Now 33 years of age, Juncadella competes for TF Sport Corvette within the World Endurance Championship’s LGT3 class.
Learn Additionally:
On this article
Rachit Thukral
DTM
Daniel Juncadella
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