Audi have revealed the driver and team combinations which they will use to defend the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters title in 2014 – which will see, amongst other moves, Jamie Green moving to Team Rosberg.
Just as at BMW, Audi have taken the decision to swap around some of their driver pairings for the forthcoming season. New champion Mike Rockenfeller will be partnered by former double champion Timo Scheider at Team Phoenix, with Scheider moving away from the Abt team he has spent seven years racing with.
“I had a great time with Abt and am leaving the squad with a tear in my eye,” said Scheider, who previously raced for Team Phoenix in 2003 when they ran the works Opel programme. “On the other hand, I’m looking forward to driving for the outfit that has provided the DTM Champion twice in the past three years. Besides that, I know the team really well from my days before Audi.”
Spaniard Miguel Molina gets a fifth season in the DTM and will return to Abt Sportsline, for whom he raced in 2010 and 2011 where he scored his only podium in the series to-date.
Italian Edoardo Mortara also moves from Team Rosberg to fill the other vacant berth at Abt Sportsline, whilst Swede Mattias Ekström and Frenchman Adrien Tambay will remain with the Abt team in 2014.
Brit Jamie Green will move from Abt Sportsline to Team Rosberg for his second season with Audi, partnering Swiss rookie Nico Müller in his first season in the German series.
The only Audi driver leaving the series in 2014 is Filipe Albuquerque, who moves across to Audi’s sportscar programme.
“Audi has always been committed to continuity with the drivers, as well as to a consistent approach of working with young talents,” said Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport. “That’s why it’s nice that we managed to retain all of our previous DTM drivers for Audi – including our three DTM Champions.
“In Nico Müller we’ve got a promising youngster as a new member of our squad, who will probably attract a few fans from Switzerland to the DTM. Plus, we’re already very eager to see how Timo, Edoardo, Miguel and Jamie will be gelling with their new teams.”