Vanina Ickx, surrounded by men

Those who think about interviewing Audi driver Vanina Ickx should expect the unexpected. The Belgian loves to challenge her dialog partners and confront them with counter questions. She loves to find out if a journalist gets off track or succeeds in staying on the line.

Her first DTM season offers her the chance of doing so rather frequently as the media representatives are keen on interviews with the only female Audi driver. According to Audi’s communication department, former Formula 1 ace Heinz-Harald Frentzen and championship contender Tom Kristensen are her only brand-mates that are even more requested, by the media.

For the daughter of six-time Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx, it was quite a challenge to adapt to standing in the DTM limelight, as the Le Mans Series sports car races she contested before moving to DTM didn’t attract a lot of public interest. “The media’s and the fans’ interest in DTM is huge and impressed me massively,” she reveals. “In these conditions, it’s not so easy to focus on your actual job – the racing.”

Still, the numerous interviews don’t represent an inconvenience, for her. “You learn a lot about yourself. Actually, I was asked questions I’d never asked myself.” At the same time, she isn’t so happy when she’s asked by photographers to pose with loose hair, as a plait is just more functional at the circuits and under the helmet.