Audi says Priaulx over-aggressive in Valencia battle with Frey

Head of Audi Sport Wolfgang Ullrich said that Priaulx, and fellow BMW man Bruno Spengler had been heavy-handed as both passed Frey's Abt A5 with six laps to go as the trio battled for sixth place.

Frey attempted to pass Priaulx around the outside at Turn 8, but instead left a gap through for Spengler, who passed both in one move.

As she then cut back inside for the left-right esses that followed, she and Priaulx made contact and continued to rub bodywork through the next two corners.

While Priaulx came away with seventh place, he was ordered by race officials to hand the position back on the following lap.

Ullrich said that BMW's tactics, and Priaulx's in particular, had been heavy-handed.

"It was obvious what they planned to do and they did it to the last extreme," he said. "It might be acceptable in the WTCC but it's not something we need in the DTM and I hope it's accepted this way.

"It needed two BMW guys to fight one Audi girl. And that's not fair wrestling."

Seventh place marked Frey's best DTM finish, while Priaulx came home eighth.

The three-time World Touring Car champion, who is in his maiden season in the DTM, said that he considered the clash to be a racing incident.

"It was a fair move," he told AUTOSPORT. "She did a TV interview straight after the race and said it was fair and that she should have tried on the inside in the first place instead of the outside. She even shook my hand afterwards.

"She switched from the outside to the inside and I held my ground. What am I supposed to do, drive through the gravel?

"I stayed on the track so I had the inside for the next corner. She closed and we touched.

"We went though side by side and then I had to give the position back. It was fair, and certainly no worse than what many people have done to me this year in other races."