Quotes after the race at Zandvoort

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of AudiMotorsport): “We started at the very front with five cars and scored a one-two-three victory – that’s a really great result for Audi. It’s good to see that all three teams have a driver on the podium and that we managed to show a strong team performance in the difficult and changeable conditions. I want to thank the whole team that has been working hard to make the cars run so well, in the manner for which Audi is known.”

Edoardo Mortara (Playboy Audi A5 DTM), 1st place
“It was incredible. I was so motivated and wanted to squeeze out the maximum at all cost. I had a good start and took a few risks on the first laps and when rain was setting in. The outcome could also have been different, though. But the risk paid off and we stayed on track. A one-two-three victory for Audi and my second success for Audi Sport Team Rosberg – for me, a dream has come true today.”

Mike Rockenfeller (Schaeffler Audi A5 DTM), 2nd place
“I had a good start. It was a difficult race but in most conditions I was able to control the race. When it started raining again I was a bit too cautious and ‘Edo’ (Mortara) took advantage of that. In second place, he was able to take a little more of a risk. Afterwards, in dry conditions, I was a bit faster but it wasn’t enough to overtake him again.”

Mattias Ekström (Red Bull Audi A5 DTM), 3rd place
“It was a thrilling race. I was battling with Gary Paffett some of the time and with the rain at other times. A couple of times, I wasn’t in control of everything one hundred percent. I’m pleased with third place. A big ‘well done’ to ‘Edo’ (Mortara) and Mike (Rockenfeller).”

Adrien Tambay (Audi ultra A5 DTM), 5th place
“A tremendous ending of my Zandvoort weekend. After fierce battles, we finished in fifth place. A superb result! I really want to thank my team that placed its trust in me. Now I’ve finally finished in the points. I’m looking ahead toward the last races with great expectations now.”

Filipe Albuquerque (TV Movie Audi A5 DTM), retirement
“It’s a shame because the race was going well at first. I was third. But due to our pit stop strategy I lost two positions. As the race went on, I lost some time behind Susie (Wolff) and Joey (Hand). In the rain, the situation really became tricky. I had to run a bit wider and hit the gravel. The splitter was damaged in the process and I had to pit.”

Timo Scheider (AUTO TEST Audi A5 DTM), retirement
“It’s almost as if the situation were jinxed. Even while preloading, I noticed that the clutch closed twice and I wasn’t able to control it. Then the lights went out at the wrong moment and I wasn’t able to recover the engine speed. This caused the engine to stall. Clearly my mistake! Then there was the contact with Coulthard. I lost the hood and the bracket was probably damaged. That’s why it wasn’t possible to properly repair the hood.”

Rahel Frey (E-POSTBRIEF Audi A5 DTM), retirement
“In turn 3, the situation became pretty tight. Wickens spun and I noticed him too late. There was no room to get out of the way. I hit him with my right front wheel and the suspension unfortunately broke in the process. An early end. Now I’ve got to give things a boost again next time.”

Miguel Molina (Red Bull Audi A5 DTM), retirement
“A difficult weekend for me. We didn’t drive a lot in free practice. In qualifying, I missed Q3 by a tenth of a second. In the race, I had a good start and overtook a lot of cars. While braking into turn one I was hit by Wickens and wasn’t able to control the car any longer. That put an early end to my race. I’m disappointed because I like this track. The positive part about it is that Audi has celebrated a one-two-three victory here. Now I’m looking forward to Oschersleben where I was on pole last year.”

Hans-Jürgen Abt (Team Director Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline): It was an outstanding race – it was touring car sport of the kind you like to see. Congratulations to Audi and three drivers in the top three places. We’re happy that now, after all the hard work, we’re competitive and are hoping to be able to continue exactly like this.”

Ernst Moser (Team Director Audi Sport Team Phoenix): “An outstanding and difficult race. The brief rain showers caused a few accidents. We managed to convert the qualifying results in the race. That’s good for Audi and for the championship. We’re back in contention for the title.”

Arno Zensen (Team Director Audi Sport Team Rosberg): “A fantastic result with three Audi drivers on the podium. I’m very happy. I’d like to thank Audi Sport very much for the work that was done in the past few months.”


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