Do you remember a specific moment or feeling from back then?

I remember being on the grandstand with my dad around 1991 or 1992. My dad pointed to a Formula One car passing by and said, "This is a young German kid. They all say he’s really good and he’s going to become a future world champion". It was Michael Schumacher in the colourful Benetton car. That remains a very present memory and definitely helped inspire me, seeing the cars pass by at incredible speed and hearing the sound.

If you had to name three elements that define your personal success, what would they be?

Perseverance, discipline, and fun—enjoying what you’re doing.

You mentioned setbacks earlier. How do you deal with them mentally?

Dealing with setbacks, finding the positive, and using them to grow and come back stronger is essential. My career has been anything but straightforward—there have been setbacks, mistakes, and wrong choices, but they all led me to who I am today. I’m grateful for those setbacks because they taught me a lot. We came from a background with no motorsport in the family, so there was a lot of learning by doing. I was out of racing for two years in my junior years because my family couldn’t support it financially, and I had to find a way back and fight for it. But all these experiences make you more grateful and appreciative when you get your opportunity.

Whenever we achieve something, we’re often unsatisfied. What about you?

I am a perfectionist, so it’s the tough life of a perfectionist—you’re never really satisfied and always feel there’s more. On my journey, I’ve learned that success is what’s written on paper, but as a sportsman, you focus more on putting all the processes in place. Motorsport is a team sport; I can’t deliver great races without a great team behind me. Once the machine is in place, the sky’s the limit. It’s not about a single race anymore, but about how far we can push ourselves and what we can still achieve.

How nervous are you before a race starts?

Nervousness is quite normal, and you need to be conscious of it and embrace it. The day you have no level of nervousness before a race is probably the day you should stop, because you no longer care. Over time, you learn how to deal with it instead of trying to suppress it. That nervousness keeps you alert and focused, allowing you to channel it into performance. No athlete in the world is free of stress or self-doubt; it’s about who manages it best.

If you weren‘t a racing driver, what would you be then?

I played a lot of football and had some talent. My dad had professional offers in his youth, but his father refused when a Bundesliga club offered a contract, telling him to get a "serious job" because football wasn’t considered one in the 70s. I was about 11, playing both football and go-karting, when my dad said we had to choose one. I chose go-karting, and it was definitely the right choice.

What is luxury for you besides time?

Time and the freedom to spend it doing what you love with people you choose. When you can follow your passion as your job, you never work a day in your life because it comes naturally. Beyond that, I love fine things: beautiful cars and beautiful watches go hand in hand.

What is your weirdest or most special collectible?

During the DTM final weekend this year, I was leading the Saturday race, needing a win to keep my championship chances alive. I had a comfortable lead, but at the pit stop, a freak incident happened: a safety pin on the wheel hub broke. The chances of it jamming in a way that prevented the wheels from going back on are lower than winning the lottery. I kept that piece of metal—less than a centimetre long—on my shelf next to my most important trophies. It serves as a reminder that nothing in life is ever granted, and that challenges and failures are normal. Instead of hating a disappointing moment, you embrace it, learn from it, and channel it into future success—we actually won the Sunday race.

How has your attitude evolved over the years?

Growing up, my attitude was simply "never give up." But over the years, it matured. It’s not just about never giving up; it’s about always standing up once more when you get knocked down, taking the right lessons, and keeping moving forward. In my junior days at the Deutsche Post Academy, we had an exercise where we had to carve something out of a block of wood. I carved a number one and engraved "never give up" on it. Looking back, that’s an important trait, but you have to go further, embrace failures, and learn from them.

What are your unique racing abilities?

In DTM, one place to make a difference is the out-lap. Regulations require leaving the pit lane with cold slick tyres, which feels like driving on ice. It’s all about feeling that tiny amount of grip and channelling it. I’ve always enjoyed that, partly because every winter I coach VIP customers at the AMG ice driving experience in Lapland, Sweden, sliding cars over pure ice. I’m also very strong in wheel-to-wheel combat, racecraft, and starting moments.

What about record laps, like on the Nürburgring Nordschleife?

The Nordschleife is the holy grail. Whatever withstands the Nordschleife has its sign of approval, because it throws every challenge at man and machine. Approaching a record lap with the Mercedes-AMG ONE is very similar to a qualifying lap, but with even higher adrenaline because speeds at the end of the straights are immense. You have to respect the Nordschleife, or it will bite you hard. When we went back in 2024, we smashed our 2022 record by another six seconds.

Are you emotional or technical during such record runs?

Very calm, cool—in my tunnel. Highly analytical. You try to blend out emotions and focus purely on what’s necessary. Even if you aim for the perfect lap, there is no such thing as a perfect lap; there is always a tiny margin left. The question is whether pushing for more risks coming out with less, especially with a car worth millions of euros and the responsibility to bring it back in one piece - and yourself.