Jamie Green: “The Hungaroring is one of the greatest challenges”

Audi’s Jamie Green has had a strong start to the season, with two victories at Hockenheim and the Lausitzring, and is currently second in the standings, 16 points behind championship leader Lucas Auer’s Mercedes, hoping to continue that form at the “challenging” Hungaroring this weekend.

“For me, the Hungaroring numbers among the greatest challenges on the race calendar,” Jamie Green said. “Due to its many turns and short straights, you have to constantly brake and accelerate again. There’s no section in which you can loosen your grip on the wheel and there’s no time to think.”

Team-mate Mike Rockenfeller lies fourth in the standings after scoring points in all four races so far, with the 2013 champion having discovered a fresh challenge with the crucial tyre management this season. The Team Phoenix driver reckons the Hungaroring will be a more difficult test of the new Hankook tyres: “The tyres will degrade more heavily at the Hungaroring than at the first two events,” he said.

Last year Audi dominated the Hungarian event, with a top six result in Saturday’s race, and with a 1-2 on Sunday. “We’re hoping for a similarly strong showing of our new Audi RS 5 DTM,” said Dieter Gass, Head of Audi Sport.

The Audi RS 5 DTMs will start the weekend as the lightest cars on the track, with a base weight of 1,115kg. Gass reckons qualifying will be key for his team to continue with their good form: “At Hockenheim and at the Lausitzring, we were strong. However, because there are only few overtaking opportunities at the Hungaroring, good grid positions will be particularly crucial. At the first races this season, we still had some potential in this respect.”