Carroll gets final Audi seat

The 24-year-old has raced in GP2 for the past two years, but he has been chasing a move away from the category after he had a difficult 2006 season.

"Last year was a nightmare, so I hope to have plenty to cheer about this season," Carroll told this week's Autosport.

The Ulsterman won three races during his first year in GP2, although last year he struggled with Racing Engineering, and he believes that another difficult year in the category would hurt his career.

Despite switching from single-seaters to touring cars, Carroll has not given up on landing a drive in Formula One in the future.

"I haven't given up on making it to Formula One, and this is a good opportunity to keep my name out there," he added.

Former DTM champion Gary Paffett believes that the development freeze that came into place after 2005 means that the two-year-old cars could spring a surprise this year.

"I think all the cars will be very close," he said. "The 2005 cars will be a problem for everybody."