By Tarek Ramchani
DTM action has started at Circuit Park Zandvoort in the Netherlands. The Audi teams and drivers performed well in the first free practice session with a total of five RS 5 DTM cars within the Top 10.
It was a fought one-hour session with very close lap times and small gaps between Audi and BMW drivers. None of the Mercedes-Benz drivers made it into the Top 10.
Double DTM champion Mattias Ekström takes a strong second place. The Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline driver set a personal best time of 1:32.050, only 0.048s behind the leading BMW of Marco Wittmann.
Edoardo Mortara (Audi Sport Team Abt) finished the session in fourth place with a best time of 1:32.336. The 2013 DTM champion Mike Rockenfeller (Audi Sport Team Phoenix) was fifth fastest.
Adrien Tambay (Audi Sport Team Abt) was eighth and Nico Müller (Audi Sport Team Rosberg) was ninth.
The other Audi drivers were outside the Top 10. Timo Scheider (Audi Sport Team Phoenix) was therteenth, Jamie Green (Audi Sport Team Rosberg) was fifteenth, Miguel Molina (Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline) was seventeenth.
Zandvoort first practice session results are here.
Photo credit: Audi Media