Audi's Jamie Green surprised DTM gave BMW rules concessions

Green finished second in the standings last year to Mercedes' Pascal Wehrlein, who has since moved to Formula 1 with Manor.

Bruno Spengler was the best BMW pilot in fifth and while the brand struggled weight-for-weight against its two rivals, it won the manufacturers' title.

BMW was granted a 7.5kg base weight reduction for the coming season, and the scope to extend the width of its rear wing by 50mm.

"In some ways it's hard to understand, as an out-and-out racer, to enable them to have something that makes them quicker," Green told Autosport.

"They won the manufacturers' championship last year, they won the drivers' championship the year before, basically they've kind of negotiated with the other manufacturers that their car isn't as quick as the Audi or the Mercedes.

"And they reckon they've got an aerodynamic balance problem, which means they need more rear downforce, so they've got a 5cm wider rear wing.

"Which to me is surprising that that's been allowed, but obviously the other manufacturers are comfortable with it.

"The cars are frozen, so they can't develop in order to catch up, so the only way they can catch up is by getting help.

"At the end of the day the DTM needs three manufacturers to be strong, at least."

While BMW will not necessarily remain 7.5kg lighter than its rivals through the DTM's revamped performance-weight system, its minimum possible weight as ballast is removed will be 1097.5kg compared to 1105kg for Audi and Mercedes.

"Last year with the performance weights you had one race where BMW were light and finished first to seventh, and that looks a bit silly," Green added.

"Whereas now it's been changed where hopefully everyone's more equal, so it will be more mixed and not just suddenly switching one way or the other through the year.

"So they're lighter but if they're quicker at the beginning of the year then they'll become heavier than us.

"So the weight thing is more just a head start, or an equaliser that can be adjusted, whereas the wing is a gain for them that will be there all year long.

"It's a bit of a shame if you've got the best car and that's a little bit taken away from you."