, which heads to the Lausitzring this weekend.){kind=link}
At the first race weekend of the 2015 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) season in early May, Audi Sport continued its impressive run of form with two wins from both Jamie Green and Mattias Ekström.
It helped Ingolstadt to take the lead in all three standings, with Team Abt’s Edoardo Mortara leading both Ekström and Green heading into this weekend’s action at the Eurospeedway Lausitz.
With the current ballast weight system in place, it could also prove to be another factor in showing just how much closer the racing will be overall.
Audi’s Head of DTM, Dieter Gass, reinforced this point in regards to how much hard work is required every weekend with the new format, as well as what can happen when the lights go out.
“This shows how close success and failure are in the DTM,” he explained. “With the new format of two races per weekend and an extremely tight schedule for everyone, this is the case even more than in the past.”
It has showed quite clearly with the fact that both Ekström and Green seemed to have the same luck on different days. The new format also caught many off guard, which saw a third of the entire grid retire in just the first race alone.
The Lausitzring is a place that favours top speed along the main straight, bringing DRS into play, with current points leader Mortara looking to better last year’s efforts.
“For the first time in my career, I’m at the very top, that does make me feel proud,” said the Italian, who finished 16th after his tyre strategy call did not help his performance.
One person, who has also helped Audi Sport take another win at the recent Nürburgring 24 Hours, could be looking for more glory this time around.
Team Rosberg’s Nico Müller, who won on his 24 hour race debut earlier this month at the Nordschleife, will be hoping to build on that with another good run in the DTM.
With a strength in an unchanged squad, they could be hard to beat. However, it remains to be seen what both BMW and Mercedes will bring to the battle.