Nico Müller: "I want to race for victories" 🎥

After only two years in GT3 racing, R-Motorsport from St. Gallen ventures into Europe's most popular touring car series. In a joint venture company with HWA (formerly Mercedes), four Aston Martin Vantage DTM cars are entered. Thanks to a feat of strength in setting up the cars, current Mercedes DTM drivers Paul Di Resta (GB) and Daniel Juncadella (E) as well as newcomers Ferdinand von Habsburg (A) and Jake Dennis (GB) will all be able to compete in the season opener at Hockenheim.

Ciao Edo, hello Nico
Following Mercedes' withdrawal from the DTM and its concentration on Formula E, Edoardo Mortara from Geneva is no longer part of the team. This leaves only Nico Müller flying the Swiss flag.

As in 2019, the 27-year-old from Bern will form Audi Sport Team ABT with Dutchman Robin Frijns, winner of the past Formula E race in Paris. Where the men of the four rings stand in comparison to the competition from Aston Martin and BMW will become clear at the latest on Saturday at Hockenheim during the first qualifying session and subsequent race run. On Sunday, the entire race program will be repeated.

Where does the competition stand?
Based on the test drives, no conclusions can be drawn about the expected balance of power.

Nico Müller: "Because you don't know who achieved the times with which program and weight during the tests, it's difficult to assess. Of course, it's always nicer to be fast rather than slow, even in testing. We've done our job and are now waiting to see where the others stand."

A look at the preferred workplace is shown in the short onboard video of Müller during the test drives at the Lausitzring:

RACEWEEK ladies and gents 🔥 can't wait to get to Hockenheim and shake it 💃🏼😈#nm51 #owneverysecond #fullpull #dtm #audi #ab #bwt 1TP5Soundboard #racecar #office @DTM @audisport @abtmotorsport @BWT_Group @AutoScout24_ch @eventseelisberg @SchuberthHelmet @patartdesigns pic.twitter.com/8zmRsmquIR

- Nico Mueller (@nico_mueller) April 29, 2019

Always keep at speed
And how is the Audi RS5 DTM with its four-cylinder turbo engine producing over 600 hp to drive?

Nico Müller: "Now the DTM cars are really fast. The relationship between downforce, weight and power is really right now. You also need courage to squeeze out the last fractions of a second. The drivability is somewhat different than with the previous V8. You can't fall into turbo-lag, i.e. out of the torque window. If the revs are too low, not much happens."

Attention to the tire management
What changes does the higher engine power and lower downforce make to the vehicle set-up for the race?

Nico Müller: "It will come down even more to finding a compromise. The rear tires (uniform from Hankook, Red.) are now under more strain. When setting up the car, you can't concentrate on a fast qualifying lap, but have to work out a setup to get through the race distance as quickly as possible while being gentle on the tires. We saw this in the tests: If you don't keep your car in balance, the tires will soon be shot and then nothing will work."

The launches become more difficult
The standing starts will probably be trickier for the drivers and more interesting for the spectators.

Nico Müller: "There is no longer a hydraulic handbrake. So you can't preload anymore and have to try to get going somehow else. It makes the start much more difficult. Bad starts are more likely to happen now."

Building on the second season in 2018
His objective is clear: In his sixth DTM season, he finally wants to compete for the title.

Nico Müller: "The car suits me. That's why I want to compete for victories at every race weekend if possible. Then we'll see what comes of it in the end. If we have a good car, which I'm assuming we do, there's no reason why I shouldn't follow up on the good second half of the 2018 season and be up front from the start."

dtm.com