Ekström and Scheider frustrated with Abt performance

Abt Audi’s double DTM champions, Mattias Ekström and Timo Scheider, have voiced their frustration with the team’s performance after they qualified 18th and 17th for tomorrow’s race at the Lausitzring.

“In the beginning, we were too slow,” conceded Ekström after qualifiying. “We’ve just simply got to improve. The race will be long and hard but we’re going to give our best to advance.

The 2004 and 2007 DTM title winner also told German TV channel, Das Erste, that he would “rather say nothing” about his car’s performance today.

Meanwhile, team-mate Scheider, who won the title with the team in 2008 and 2009, was more vocal about his qualifying session and hinted at disappointment in the squad’s race pace.

“We didn’t have a good set-up [and] I didn’t feel comfortable in the cockpit,” he said. “Obviously, 17th place is disappointing.

“We’ve always been good in qualifying this season so far and then had poor race results. Maybe this weekend we’ll have a strong race result after a weak qualifying for a change.”

Conversely, Jamie Green, who joined the Abt outfit from Mercedes over the winter, qualified third and recorded his best ever qualifying result for Audi after a frustrating three opening races.

“I’m very happy,” said Green afterwards. “After the first three races didn’t go so smoothly, it’s nice that I’m finally where I should be.

“Being so far at the front in the Audi for the first time takes a big load off my shoulders. It feels very good.”

Abt Team-mate Adrien Tambay will also line up seventh.