Dieter Gass: “We don’t know what went wrong today”

Audi Sport has started the 2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season with mixed feelings. After Saturday’s triumphs, the Ingolstadt manufacturer had a more difficult day than expected. Dieter Gass, Head of DTM for Audi, struggles to understand why.

“We had a problem today in the qualifying, as we weren’t able to get the lap times and the positions we were expecting and we struggled for pace,” Gass told TouringCarTimes. “This meant we ended up in the midfield, where it’s more difficult to achieve the results we want. We lost the two best place cars on the opening laps, and it was difficult for the rest to move forward and fight for a good result. Still, I had expected a better performance from the cars that were left in the race.”

The series has implemented a number of significant changes in the sporting regulations, and Dieter Gass had a first evaluation of their impact on the competition: “At first glance, we could say that the regulation changes had the effect we were hoping for, as the spectators had a good show.”

“From our point of view, I think that 30-minute free practice sessions are too short, because if you have a problem you can miss most of the session. Still, it’s the same for everybody and our task is to make the most of the parameters we have to work with” added Dieter Gass.

Audi Sport lies third in the Constructors’ table, with Team Abt’s Nico Müller being their best placed driver in the standings in fourth place with 19 points.