Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass admits that he was not surprised that the manufacturer suffered a difficult opening weekend of the season at the Hockenheimring, blaming the change in regulations surrounding aerodynamics.
Ahead of the 2018 season, aerodynamics on the DTM cars have been reduced by approximately 30 percent, with fewer flicks on the front and rear corners of the cars.
Audi believe that their RS5 has been most heavily impacted by the changes, with the car having been thought to have had one of the best aerodynamic packages in recent seasons.
The Ingolstadt marque secured just one podium finish over the weekend, which came late in race two as Mike Rockenfeller made a late move on Mercedes’ Gary Paffett for second place.
On Saturday there were just two top ten finishes for Audi, as reigning champion René Rast and Team Phoenix’s Loïc Duval took ninth and tenth.
“That it would become a difficult opening round for us didn’t come as a total surprise,” said Gass. “We expected that the change in regulations would be tough for us.
“Still, the results on Saturday were disappointing, so Mike’s second place on Sunday was all the more positive.
“Even in qualifying, we had a half-second gap to the fastest lap. That repeated itself in the race. On paper, half a second isn’t much, but in the DTM, it makes a world of difference.
“We learned a lot about the new package this weekend and now have some homework to do. At the Lausitzring, in two weeks from now, we intend to be stronger on the whole.”
Gass praised the racing produced over the weekend under the new regulations, even though no Audi drivers were embroiled in the lead battle.
“The DTM delivered a great show to kick off the season and carried the fans away and the enthusiasm in the grandstands was visible.
“Both races were extremely exciting and the second one on Sunday was just awesome – that was pure racing! It can hardly be topped.”