• Briton seventh following recovery at the Norisring
  • Tire gamble in wet race
  • Unfortunate qualifying prevents better team result
DTM Norisring 2015
Hoffmann Group Audi RS 5 DTM #53 (Audi Sport Team Rosberg), Jamie Green

Jamie Green kept a cool head in difficult conditions on the Norisring. The Briton in his Hoffmann Group Audi RS 5 DTM of Audi Sport Team Rosberg had started in third place on slicks on a wet track. In the first corner, his rivals forced him to run wide, which caused him to drop to twelfth place. But in the course of 46 race laps, the Briton recovered to seventh place. As a result, Green increased his advantage in the standings from 6 to 23 point

A heavy rain shower shortly before the start of the DTM’s fifth race of the season forced the teams into a tire gamble. Seven Audi drivers decided to use slicks. Only Mike Rockenfeller started on rain tires. A third of their competitors opted for grooved tires as well. Consequently, the early stage was marked by many position changes. Green lost eight places when a pack forced him to run wide in turn one. Just a few meters behind him, a rival turned Miguel Molina around in an attack. In addition, the Spaniard received a drive-through penalty for jump starting. As a result, the two drivers who had taken the best grid positions of all Audi drivers, lost opportunities. Green’s time came on a drying track. “This was an eventful race,” said the Briton. “I started on slicks. That worked out pretty well, even though it obviously cost time. Unfortunately, the others forced me to run wide in turn one and I lost several places. But in the end, only the points count and I’m happy to have increased my advantage in the lead of the standings.”

Meanwhile Mike Rockenfeller in the Schaeffler Audi RS 5 DTM made up one position after the other at the beginning of the race. The 2013 Champion improved to sixth place on a wet track. On lap 15, however, the track had become so dry that he switched to slicks as well, causing the race driver from Audi Sport Team Phoenix to drop to 17th place. He saw the checkered flag in position 14.

Edoardo Mortara crossed the finish line in eleventh place. The Italian from Audi Sport Team Abt just missed a points-finish only by about two seconds. Like his brand colleague Mattias Ekström, who took 17th place in the race, Mortara has 58 points. In the championship standings, the two Audi drivers are ranked right behind Green. The other Audi drivers, who on a drying track in qualifying were only able to secure places at the rear of the field, were chanceless.

“That we’re losing some of the performance weight and that Jamie Green has extended his lead of the standings are positives,” said Dieter Gass, Head of DTM at Audi Sport. “The right tire choice was difficult and even in retrospect wasn’t a clear-cut decision. Jamie made the best of his situation and managed to extend his lead of the championship. Qualifying wasn’t good enough for a better team result.”

On Sunday at 15.18 (live coverage starting on ‘Das Erste’ at 15.00, CEST), the DTM will hold round six.