“It was a positive and productive test for us,” explained Dieter Gass, Head of DTM at Audi Sport. “We covered many kilometers over the four days and were able to complete the majority of our test program. All the drivers seem satisfied, which speaks for the new RS 5 DTM and our intensive preparation over the winter. I think we are step further ahead at this moment than we were at the same time last year. Nevertheless, we have plenty of work to do before the season opener on May 4 at Hockenheim – and only then will we really know exactly where we stand compared to the competition.”
The first three race cars for the 2014 season and a test car of the new RS 5 DTM, called ‘RC3’ internally at Audi Sport, were available for the three Audi Sport teams Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg. Mike Rockenfeller and Timo Scheider drove the test car. The eight drivers completed different test programs, which included tire test, race simulations and pit stops as well as the testing of different development configurations.
The fastest lap time among all the Audi drivers was recorded on Tuesday afternoon by newcomer Nico Müller in the orange colored Hoffmann Group Audi RS 5 DTM from Audi Sport Team Rosberg (1m 37.505s). The 22-year old ‘star of tomorrow’ was also the busiest Audi driver after completing 277 test laps.
The third race of the 2014 DTM season is on the agenda at the Hungaroring on June 1. During the test days, the Audi drivers already noticed the enormous enthusiasm the Hungarians have for motorsport: the drivers were welcomed by autograph hunters as they arrived at the airport in Budapest. Several hundreds of fans followed the test days at the Hungaroring.
Another official test between April 14-17 is on the agenda at the Hockenheimring before the season opener on May 4. The grandstands will also be opened for spectators attending the test days. Tickets for the DTM 2014 are available online at www.audi-motorsport.com/dtm or by calling the following telephone number +49 (0)841 8947777.
Comments by the Audi drivers
Mattias Ekström (243 laps/1m 37.912s): “The track is very nice and is a lot of fun to drive if you are alone. However, I’m afraid that overtaking will be extremely difficult during the race here in June. We collected a lot of valuable information during the four test days. It’s always good if you can test before the race at a track. Now we’ll go home, take a breather and then prepare perfectly for Hockenheim.”
Jamie Green (220 laps/1m 38.200s): “I drove for the first time at Budapest. Seeing as we have a DTM race here this year, it was good to spend two days getting to know the track. It was also the first time that I worked at the track with Audi Sport Team Rosberg. In this respect it was good preparation for the season. After we didn’t have such good weather during last year’s winter tests, it was great to have four dry days here. We had four good days as a team. We are heading in the right direction, I have a good feeling.”
Miguel Molina (186) laps /1m 37.792s): “We worked well, and tried lots of new things to adapt the new car to our driving style. I think that was very positive. We now have a lot of information that we can analyze. It’s now a question of optimizing the RS 5 DTM for the next teat at Hockenheim. On the whole it was four good test days in Budapest, not just the driving. Working with the engineers and mechanics in Team Abt and at Audi Sport was fun. I’m already looking forward to Hockenheim.”
Nico Müller (277 laps /1m 37.505s): “My test summary is positive: it was a good debut with Audi and in the DTM. It was very important for me that I felt comfortable in the car and with the team from the first lap. I had a lot to learn as far as the car and driving aspects were concerned. That it worked so well gives me confidence for the start of the season. We didn’t really look at the times, but obviously it’s always better to be towards the top of the list. We completed our test program and will try to implement as much as possible from this test throughout the season. I like the Hungaroring. The circuit is very technical – and it appears to suit our car extremely well.”
Edoardo Mortara (176 laps /1m 37.806s): “It’s always a pleasure to get back in a car and drive after such a long winter break. It was also my first test with my new team. You get to know new people and see new faces. It was the first time I worked together with my new engineers. It was pretty good. We also had some good test days. We completed our test program and managed to do everything we had scheduled. We learnt quite a few things, which could be useful during the season. Now it’s all about analyzing everything correctly and to prepare ourselves perfectly for the next test at Hockenheim. The Hungaroring is challenging and a relatively complete race track. I’m afraid that overtaking will be extremely difficult here.”
Mike Rockenfeller (200 laps /1m 37.842s): “The circuit is fun and is very demanding. It’s very bumpy, which makes it difficult to find a good set-up – this is a challenge. For the drivers it’s also difficult to make a perfect lap here. However, the circuit also changed quite a lot over the course of each test day. I wasn’t completely satisfied with the test. I don’t mean the lap time because nobody knows anyway how we compare to the competition. I mean the feeling I have for the car. I think we still have a lot of work to do during the test at Hockenheim.”
Timo Scheider (208 laps /1m 38.167s): “The Hungaroring is very demanding and has a bit of everything that a DTM car needs: a great combination of long straights, hairpins, medium speed and fast corners – this is really a challenge. My first test day here was difficult: we were a little lost, but found the right direction on the second day. This is why I travel home from the Hungaroring with a good feeling and already look forward to the next test.”
Adrien Tambay (123 laps /1m 38.014s): “I think that the Hungaroring is a fantastic track for the DTM and we’ll be able to give the fans here a fantastic show. It was great to see just how many spectators were here during the test days – I was pleasantly surprised. . I’m already looking forward to the race on June 1, especially as I was quick out of the box. The new Audi RS 5 DTM functions very well. Although we didn’t drive as much today as we did on the first day, we were once again able to complete several long runs and learn a huge amount as well. Overall it was a positive test. We have something to build on.”
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