Nico Müller: I want even more!
While Edoardo Mortara from Geneva, who starts for Italy, won the DTM season opener at Hockenheim, his Audi teammate Nico Müller celebrated his first podium finish in third place. But the driver from Berne was not entirely satisfied with this, as he revealed in an exclusive interview with AutoSprintCH. AutoSprintCH: Congratulations on your first pole position in the DTM! What was that feeling like? [...]
AutoSprintCH: Congratulations on your first pole position in the DTM! What was that feeling like?
Nico Müller: It was a great relief after I switched from Team Rosberg to Abt and was now able to prove right away what I'm capable of implementing. Anyone can drive in the DTM, you just have to manage to bring everything to the point. My best time in free practice had already shown that the basis of my Audi RS5 is good.
AutoSprintCH: The last time you were on the best grid position in the Formula Renault 3.5 World Series in Monaco was in 2013, and you turned it into your biggest win to date. Why didn't it work out this time?
Nico Müller: When you're on pole, you naturally want to win, so I'm not entirely satisfied, although my first podium finish in the DTM is satisfying. We tried out a new starting procedure for this season, which I haven't been able to exploit to the full yet. It certainly had nothing to do with me getting nervous, because I knew what it felt like on pole from previous formulas.
AutoSprintCH: Your Abt teammate Edoardo Mortara pulled away right at the start, then Robert Wickens in the Mercedes overtook you. No chance of regaining the position?
Nico Müller: I thought two or three times about attacking Wickens. But the balance of my car wasn't as good after I ran over a piece of debris. The five kilos of ballast that all the Audi cars received because of my superior qualifying best time also had an effect. I then tried to attack again at the end but then I made a mistake at exactly that moment in the Sachs corner. After that, the gap was too big to activate the DRS.
AutoSprintCH: What to expect next?
Nico Müller: I've always said that podiums are my big goal for the season, so I want even more of them. For the second qualifying session and the race on Sunday, we're trying to find some setup changes that will suit the slightly different track conditions we expect overnight. It will be difficult, but I think we can do it. And in the race I want to be even better than today...
