Audi’s DTM season preview: The Empire Strikes Back

For DTM’s joint most successful manufacturer, 2012 fell way short of Audi’s generally high standards.

“It’s true that last year didn’t go the way we had expected,” said the team’s motorsport director, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “We didn’t squeeze the optimum out of the things we developed and installed in the cars during the season.” He’s right too, as Audi failed to make the best of its RS5 and finished the season with the least amount of wins – two, both courtesy of Edoardo Mortara – and its best placed driver was Mike Rockenfeller who finished fourth, 36 points behind third placed Jamie Green and a massive 64 points away from Bruno Spengler’s title winning BMW M3.

But this is Audi, one of motorsport’s most influential companies. This is the company that turned world rallying on its head with the Quattro and, with the exception of 2003 and 2009, has dominated Le Mans for the last decade.

As a result, expect Audi’s 2013 campaign to be a very different affair.

In addition to being able to draw on its wealth of motorsport expertise to rectify the problems with the RS5, the upcoming season is expected to involve more driver skill thanks to the introduction of DRS and the fast wearing option tyre.

Given Audi’s driver line up boasts 33 wins and two former double champions in the guise of Mattias Ekstrom and Timo Scheider, it has every right to be confident for the upcoming season. Throw in the consistency of Mike Rockenfeller, the outright speed of Edoardo Mortara and the newly signed Jamie Green from Mercedes. To top it off, consider the youthful potential of Adrien Tambay, Filipe Albuquerque and Miguel Molina, and the basis for a title fight is challenge becomes justified.

“I think we have the strongest squad we’ve ever had in the DTM,” continued Ullrich.“We’re expecting the drivers will play a larger role – that’s why we rely on drivers who have all been on the DTM podium at least once.”

A bold statement, but once again, not entirely unfounded as the Abt Sportsline drivers discussed with TouringCarTimes ahead of Hockenheim on May 5th.

“We did a lot over the winter to close the gap [to the opposition], but we know nothing before Hockenheim,” said Jamie Green, the latest driver to join the four rings after eight seasons with Mercedes. “Even though Audi didn’t live up to its own expectations in 2012, I […] hope that we can fight for the title this year.

“The last title was two years ago – I think that the necessary will to win is there.”

Teammate Ekstrom is equally as confident for 2013. The likeable Swede suffered a difficult season in 2012 and finished the season sixth in a campaign that was blighted by incidents and a lack of victories. ‘Eki’ – as he is known as to his fans – despite not being a fan of the regulations that have carried over from 2012, will be out to rectify last year.

“Personally I prefer to develop race cars and don’t like frozen rules,” remarked the 2004 and 2007 title winner.

“On paper it [the 2013 RS5] looks good but I have learned that the package is what counts in the end.

“At Audi hopefully [we] have closed up the gap over the winter and I will do my outmost to give my part to make that happen.”

Despite the positive noises coming out of Ingolstadt, Audi is expecting stiff opposition from reigning champions BMW; the other Bavarians shocked them by not revealing the M3 DTM’s true pace in last season’s pre-season test and then turned up to and claimed the triple of the driver’s/team’s/manufacturer’s championship after a 20 year hiatus.

“The BMWs are fast and well sorted out,” continued Ekstrom when asked about the pace of the M3s in testing.

“During the test in Barcelona it looked like BMW has an edge over the rest.”

Teammate Green, who claimed the fastest time of the third day in his RS5, is equally as wary of Audi’s Bavarian neighbours and expects them to cause ‘a problem’ if they manage to lull the opposition into the same false sense of security as last year.

“I hope the fastest times by the BMWs at Hockenheim doesn’t mean anything as they didn’t show any performance while testing last year,” said Audi’s resident Brit. “In the end they won the championship.”

“If they still have the same strategy and these times are just the bottom-line,” he continued, “we could get a problem. “

Another issue facing Audi in 2013 is its Norisring bugbear, which is partially one of the reasons that Green joined the team.

The Norisring is in effect Audi’s home event as the circuit lies some 60 miles away from its factory in Ingolstadt, but a lack of the so called ‘home advantage’ has blighted Audi’s attempts to win there since Laurent Aiello managed it at the wheel of an Abt prepared TT-R in 2002.

Green, however, has proved himself to be a master of the circuit by winning the event four times in the last five years. In addition to re-claiming the title, Audi is determined to claim Norisring honours back from Mercedes and Stuttgart in what is essentially a matter of pride.

“Maybe we’ll finally manage winning at the Norisring again with him too,” Ullrich admitted when asked how the Leicester man has fitted in with the team. “The aim at Audi is always to be in contention for victory.”

Green also believes he can fight for honours at the Bavarian Monaco in his debut Audi season given his impressive record around the short and narrow 1.4 mile circuit.

“I will try [to win it]. I like the track and if you win 4 races out of 5 it seems that the track suits to my driving style very well,” he continued to TcT.

“I already recognized that this single race means a lot for Audi and the team so we will push very hard to fulfill their dream.”

So, what to expect from Audi in 2013? At minimum, regular race wins. Given its perfectly balanced driver line-up, also expect a full-blooded title assault to wrestle honours away from BMW.

Despite making Audi’s intentions clear, Ullrich concluded “of course this doesn’t mean you automatically win the title.”

Be surprised if they don’t, though.

Audi line up for 2013:
Car:
Audi RS5 DTM
Teams and drivers:
Team Rosberg: Edoardo Mortara #5 (IT)/Filipe Albuquerque #6 (PT)
Abt Sportsline: Mattias Ekstrom #11 (SE)/Jamie Green #12 (GB)
Phoenix Racing: Mike Rockenfeller #19 (DE)/Miguel Molina #20 (ES)
Audi Sport Team Abt: Timo Scheider #23 (DE)/Adrien Tambay #24 (FR)