DTM teams have only one private test opportunity this season: Who has already used theirs before Zandvoort, and why did one team run without DTM tires?
The DTM season has only just begun, but three teams have already used up their single private and freely selectable wildcard test day on DTM circuits leading up to the finale in Hockenheim. These are the Lamborghini team Abt, the Mercedes-AMG team Landgraf, and the Ferrari squad Emil Frey.
All three teams tested at Zandvoort, where the second race weekend of the season is on the schedule this weekend and where Pirelli’s new, slightly softer DTM-specific tires will face their true endurance test. The dune circuit is considered an absolute tire killer due to its rough asphalt, and high temperatures are also expected.
Curiously, while Abt and Landgraf tested in the Netherlands on May 8 in temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius, the Emil Frey team was already on site on March 19 with regular drivers Thierry Vermeulen and Matteo Ciaroli—though they were still using Pirelli’s DHG tire, which was used last year.
Why did the Emil Frey team test without DTM tires?
How do the Swiss explain the Zandvoort test in March, when Pirelli’s new DTM-specific tire wasn’t yet available and it wasn’t even clear what it would look like?
“Emil Frey Racing chose Zandvoort because we race on this track in the DTM and the GT World Challenge Europe,” explains Technical Director Jürg Flach. “This meant that all four drivers each had a test day. Additionally, the goal was to do further setup work with the Evo package on this track to establish a solid foundation for the races.”
In the GT World Challenge Europe sprint series, which won’t visit Zandvoort until September, Pirelli’s DHG tires are still in use. The focus of the test, however, was on Ferrari’s new Evo package, which the team has been testing intensively in the run-up to the season and is still struggling with.
“We don’t understand it well enough yet,” says Thierry Vermeulen ahead of the DTM weekend in Zandvoort, referring to the difficult start. “We really struggled at Brands Hatch in the GT World Challenge and at the Red Bull Ring, especially in qualifying, to get the car set up as usual and with a decent balance. We still have a lot of work ahead of us as a team.”
Abt Team Tests with Only One Temerario: “We Need a Lot of Miles”
So-called “joker” test days make sense this year not only at Zandvoort but also at the Nürburgring and in Oschersleben, because each of the remaining four DTM tracks already has an official test day organized by the ADAC, which expires if not used.
It comes as no surprise that the Abt team has already used the only private test day on DTM tracks, as the Lamborghini team from Kempten, much like the Grasser team—which was looking for progress on Rosberg’s driving dynamics test bench—had a difficult start with the new Temerario GT3.
“We still need a lot of test kilometers with the new car so we can get to know it better and continue developing it,” says Abt team boss Thomas Biermaier. “That’s why we went to Zandvoort. On top of that, we’re preparing for the next DTM weekend in Zandvoort.”
It is interesting to note that the Abt team was not on site with both Temerario GT3s, even though the test day is counted regardless. “We were only at the test with one car because we had other commitments with the second car,” explains an Abt spokesperson when asked. Regular drivers Luca Engstler and Marco Mapelli took turns at the wheel.
Landgraf Team Tests, HRT Pulls Out of Test
“We do not wish to provide any further details regarding the exact use of the second car in this case; we ask for your understanding.”
The Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf took advantage of the testing opportunity at Zandvoort because neither Lucas Auer—who had recently been juggling the Nordschleife program, the GTWCE, and the DTM—nor Tom Kalender had any scheduling conflicts.
The Ford HRT team was also at Zandvoort, though with the ADAC GT Masters drivers. The team withdrew its request to test with the DTM duo in time, leaving the team with the option of a private test at Oschersleben or the Nürburgring.
