Quotes after qualifying at Hockenheim
Playboy Audi RS 5 DTM #16 (Audi Sport Team Abt), Adrien Tambay

In the DTM season opener at Hockenheim, Audi driver Adrien Tambay will start from the pole position for the first time. Quotes from the Audi camp after the first qualifying session of the season.

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “Of course we watched the DTM qualifying session with one eye from Spa. ‘Well done’ from here to Hockenheim to the whole DTM squad that, just like the LMP outfit, made an almost superhuman effort in the past days to put a total of eleven new race cars on the grid this weekend – eight at Hockenheim and three at Spa. I’m happy that I can be on location myself at the race tomorrow.”

Dieter Gass (Head of DTM): “Tops! It was a very hard winter for everybody and a great reward. We finished the preparation of the race cars only at a late stage. Setting the fastest qualifying time in the first session, where it really counts, was brilliant. Adrien (Tambay) has been waiting for this result for a long time. There have always been flashes of his potential, but it had never been enough for a first place before. Now he’s put himself in a very good position for Sunday.”

Adrien Tambay (Playboy Audi RS 5 DTM), grid position 1
“To be honest, it was difficult for me at first to comment on this. I was speechless. Now I’m beginning to calm down. It’s really great to be at the very front of the grid here. But I’m already thinking about the race. It’ll no doubt be tough. But this is my first pole in the DTM, I managed it, and it’s a great experience.”

Mattias Ekström (Red Bull Audi RS 5 DTM), grid position 5
“I had a fantastic qualifying, fifth place is very good. We had a few adventures in the morning but we did a good job of resolving them. I’m looking forward to the race and think that we’re going to have a good pace for Sunday because our set-up is geared to the race. It’s nice to see Adrien (Tambay) on pole for the first time. He really deserves it.”

Miguel Molina (Audi Sport Audi RS 5 DTM), grid position 6
“It was a really good qualifying session for me up to the third section. The best time in Q2 gave me hopes. But then I didn’t manage a perfect lap. Still, grid position six isn’t a bad starting base, particularly as it seems that our RS 5 DTM is really fast.”

Edoardo Mortara (Audi Sport Audi RS 5 DTM), grid position 7
“I’ve got mixed emotions. I’m a bit disappointed about the final result. Especially in the second section I was very pleased with second place. But okay – the race is long and even from seventh place on the grid I should be able to make up a few places. In the race, Audi is traditionally even stronger than in qualifying.”

Timo Scheider (AUTO TEST Audi RS 5 DTM), grid position 10
“The beginning was very difficult. I made a mistake right in the first segment. Then we adjusted the inflation pressure and I was doing a bit better. It felt like the balance in the fast turns was more even. However, I clearly had problems accelerating out of the corners, which cost me a lot of time.”

Mike Rockenfeller (Schaeffler Audi RS 5 DTM), grid position 11
“Of course I’d set my sights on something better than eleventh place. That’s the DTM, in which you don’t get any breaks. The result is disappointing, looking at how good my brand colleagues were. I can’t be happy, but we’re going to give everything and drive with a set-up that’ll hopefully allow us to move forward. Obviously, I’m set on scoring points.”

Nico Müller (Audi Financial Services RS 5 DTM), grid position 13
“If someone had told me two weeks ago that I’d be in 13th place I’d have been happy. Now there’s a bit of an aftertaste because with the performance of our Audi it might have even been possible to make it into Q3. The positive feeling remains that things are basically working out pretty well already.”

Jamie Green (Hoffmann Group Audi RS 5 DTM), grid position 18
“Position 18 is obviously a disappointing starting base. In the first section, I advanced on only one set of tires. That was very promising. On my first trial in the second section, I crossed the white line with all four wheels and had to reduce my speed afterwards due to the regulations. On the next trial, I drove good sector times but got off track and picked up a lot of gravel. After that, no improvement was possible anymore.”

Hans-Jürgen Abt (Team Director Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline): “Obviously, we’re thrilled. Our four Audi cars in the top eight and the pole position clinched by Adrien Tambay are the reward for hard labor. I want to thank the whole squad. We always believed it but today it’s become reality: this is a good start of the new season. Of course there are no points awarded for qualifying, but we’re going to work hard for the race in order to bring home a podium finish.” 

Ernst Moser (Team Director Audi Sport Team Phoenix): “I congratulate Adrien (Tambay) on his pole. He showed how good the Audi RS 5 DTM is. That’s a reassuring feeling. It was tight and we didn’t get it on the dot. That’s why we didn’t make it into Q3. But we’re competitive. We’ve got a good feeling for the race. The car functions. That’s why I’m not unhappy. With good tactics and the right tire choice quite a bit is possible.”

Arno Zensen (Team Director Audi Sport Team Rosberg): “The first qualifying section didn’t go all that badly for us. Sixth place by Nico (Müller) was brilliant.  Jamie (Green) drove only on one set of tires and finished in 13th place on it. That was good too. In the second section I can live well with Nico’s 13th place too. He’s new in the DTM. This was his first qualifying. In Jamie’s case the situation was unfortunate. He was headed for Q3 on his fastest lap but then, unfortunately, slipped into the gravel trap. A lot more would have probably been possible for us, but the finding that our car works well is worth a lot too.”


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