BMW's 2015 slump in form a warning to Audi in DTM - Jamie Green
BMW's fall from grace in the DTM last year shows Audi should not rest on its laurels entering the 2016 season, Jamie Green believes
While Green was ultimately beaten to the title by Mercedes' consistent Pascal Wehrlein, he won more races than any other driver last year, four, as Audi's pace-setting RS5 took out 10 of the 18 races.
BMW enjoyed a similar level of dominance in 2014, led by eventual champion Marco Wittmann, only to fall down the pecking order last year, with four of its five wins coming amid favourable performance-weight settings.
The top 10 DTM drivers of 2015
For Green, it is a valuable reminder that even without the scope to develop cars between seasons, Audi should not take anything for granted.
"A year ago, the technology of the cars was frozen as well - but in spite of this, BMW was surprisingly slow after Marco Wittmann had won the championship in the previous season," he said.
"Who'd have expected that? In the DTM, there's simply nothing that's guaranteed.
"It's clear that we had a very good car last year and didn't clinch the drivers' and the manufacturers' titles only due to a lot of misfortune.
"Our speed was right. We're hoping for that to be the case again this year."
The introduction of Mercedes' new AMG C 63 Coupe-based challenger could also shake things up, the Brit believes.
"Mercedes will be competing with a slightly different bodywork," Green added.
"So, there's a possibility that the balance of power may be shifting a little as a result."
REDUCED TESTING NOT A FACTOR
DTM drivers will spend less time in their cars this pre-season, with just two tests rather than three before the season opener at Hockenheim on May 7-8.
A three-day test organised by the manufacturers will take place at Monteblanco in Spain on February 23-25, before an official four-day test at Hockenheim in the first week of April.
"In the DTM, we have phases like this in which the technical development of the cars has been frozen and testing is limited," Green said.
"I don't mind that because my performance apparently doesn't suffer from this.
"Still, it's great for me to participate in both tests this year.
"Five days in the car pre-season, for DTM conditions that's quite a lot."
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