Brands Hatch preview: Biggest test for DRS?

As the DTM heads to the UK for the second race of the 2013 season, the teams and drivers are expected to face conditions far removed from the long straights and heat of Hockenheim two weeks ago.

Found in Kent, or the ‘garden of England’, the British round of the DTM has taken place on the short 1.9 kilometer Brands Hatch ‘Indy’ circuit since 2006. In addition to the 98 race laps, short straights and a narrow track make for difficult overtaking opportunities and an intense race.

In 2013, the race is expected to be made even trickier by the introduction of the DRS and option tyres, which despite being tested at Hockenheim and Barcelona in the pre-season, have not been used on a short and narrow circuit such as Brands Hatch.

In the run up to the event, BMW’s youngest recruit, Marco Wittmann, admitted he is unsure what effect the technical innovations will have over the weekend.

“The big question is what effect the DRS will have on the short track at Brands [Hatch],” he said.

“With lower top speeds than at Hockenheim, it probably won’t have quite such a big effect. Let’s wait and see.”

Wittmann’s stablemate, Martin Tomczyk, also admitted to similar concerns ahead of the race, with the 2011 DTM champion stating: “Under certain circumstances, the option tyres will provide the odd opportunity to overtake – and that would be a revolution there [at Brands Hatch].”

Despite cautious noises from BMW, Mercedes and Audi are confident ahead of the race, with the former taking four wins from the last seven seasons, including back-to-back victories with Paul di Resta in 2009 and 2010.

The 2012 winner, Gary Paffett, believes the DRS will be effective, but only on the condition that the driver ahead can be forced into a mistake heading onto the pit-straight and into the first corner.

“On the Indy circuit you’re always trying to force a mistake from the car ahead,” said Paffett.

“If you can do that into Clearways and make them run wide or even just get on the power a little bit late, then you can definitely get past with DRS into Paddock, even around the outside.”

Audi, who has taken three wins and won the first race in 2006 with Mattias Ekstrom, will be further determined than usual for a good result, considering Brands Hatch is the home race of its resident Brit, Jamie Green.

“It’s always very special for me to race in front of a crowd of my fellow countrymen – after all, this doesn’t happen very often,” said Green.

“Audi was always strong at Brands Hatch in the past – so I’m optimistic that we’ll be in contention for a good result.”

With each of the three manufacturers heading to the UK with no knowledge of how the new 2013 technical innovations will work, expect some head-scratching over the weekend.

Throw in the fine British spring and some fired up British drivers who are determined to do well in front of their home crowd, expect another decent race courtesy of the DTM.

Brands Hatch facts:

Track length: 1,929 kilometers

Laps: 98

Lap Record: Miguel Molina, Audi 41.576s (September 2010)
Weather: Unpredictable
Previous winners:

2006: Mattias Ekstrom (Audi)
2007: Bernd Schneider (Mercedes-Benz)
2008: Timo Scheider (Audi)
2009: Paul di Resta (Mercedes-Benz)
2010: Paul di Resta (Mercedes-Benz)
2011: Martin Tomczyk (Audi)
2012: Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz)

Schedule: TBC