Photo: DTM Media

Dr. Ullrich concerned about the tyre situation in the DTM

The 2015 DTM season is reaching its half way point this weekend, with the fifth round taking place at the Red Bull Ring. Saturday’s race will be the ninth out of 18 this year.

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Sport, thinks the season has been positive so far for his cars: “We are on top of the classification so far, and I’m pleased with the results, even though there have been difficult moments. But we prepared well and what we see is the result of our hard work.”

Audi Sport has, however, seen their speed compromised by the application of the ‘performance weights’, the ballast system that seeks to equal cars and penalise those with the best results in the DTM. Dr. Ullrich thinks the system could be improved: “The performance weights have hit us badly this year, and we have to look at the way they affect the winning cars. This is something we will have to consider for the future.”

One of the main talking points this year is the issues the manufacturers are having with the tyres. The DTM went back to a single compound this season, scrapping the option tyres, in a bid to make the races easier to follow by the spectators and to make them more interesting. Supposedly, the tyre of choice was last year’s standard compound.

After the first two rounds of the season, it was clear that both Mercedes and BMW had serious issues to get the rubbers into temperature. The tyres were analysed by Hankook, the Series’ official supplier, who came back with a detailed specification to help the struggling teams. Tests were conducted before Norisring, with the result being that Mercedes and BMW improved their results, levelling things up in the standings.

Audi Sport hasn’t escaped the situation, with their drivers still having to try to make the best out of the information available. “We worked hard and managed to get an understanding of the tyres”, Dr. Ullrich said. “Still, we feel we aren’t there yet, so we continue to work with the Hankook engineers to improve the situation.”