DTM season guide

The DTM kicks off this weekend with its traditional Hockenheim season-opener and guaranteed fireworks, both on and off the track, in what is the championship's last year as a two-horse race.

With champion Paul di Resta having moved onwards and upwards to Formula 1, there's been something of a shuffling of the pack at Mercedes, with Norisring dominator Jamie Green moving back to the works HWA squad, Christian Vietoris taking the seat he's vacated and Renger van der Zande being given a year-old car in place of Cong-Fu Cheng.

Audi has not been left behind either, the manufacturer promoting Le Mans 24 Hours winner Mike Rockenfeller to one of its latest A4s in place of Martin Tomczyk and totally revamping its line-up of drivers in older machinery to include the likes of F3 Euro Series champion Edoardo Mortara and Race of Champions winner Filipe Albuquerque.

There's been a calendar shake-up too as the revamped Spielberg circuit (formerly the Osterreichring and A1-Ring) takes the place of Adria on the schedule and the Shanghai season finale has been cancelled altogether, meaning a reduction of the calendar to the 10 rounds that has become commonplace over the past decade.

As if that's not enough, there's another new variable for the pack to deal with as Korean manufacturer Hankook has replaced Dunlop as the series official tyre supplier.

How Audi must be hoping that it can prise an advantage out of the rubber, especially after winning only twice last year and failing to get a driver in the top three of the championship. Don't think Mercedes will let that happen too readily though.

Top 10 drivers to watch

Gary Paffett © LAT

Team: HWA
Car: Mercedes-Benz C-Class (09)
Age: 30
Nationality: British
Starts: 71
Wins: 16
Poles: 7
Titles: 1 (2005)
2010: 2nd in DTM

Paffett is fast becoming part of Mercedes' old guard, in the same way that Bernd Schneider used to be. After all, none of the manufacturer's drivers has won more times or started more races in the DTM than the Briton.

His role as a McLaren F1 test driver has never affected his ability to run at the front in a C-Class, so don't expect it to this year, although he'll need to start the season more strongly than he did a year ago if he is to add to his lone championship crown in 2005. After finishing second last season, he just about begins the year as the title favourite this time around.

Jamie Green © sutton-images.com

Team: HWA
Car: Mercedes-Benz C-Class (09)
Age: 28
Nationality: British
Starts: 63
Wins: 6
Poles: 6
2010: 6th in DTM

The DTM's most electrifying driver (now that Paul di Resta has moved on to F1), and the only man to have won in an older-spec car since 2007 has been moved back into a plum drive with the HWA Mercedes squad after two years on secondment to the Persson team.

Green believes that the experience he has gained in how to win races over the past few seasons will prove invaluable as he gears himself up for a title charge, and he's a red hot favourite to make it four wins in a row at the Norisring in July.

Timo Scheider © sutton-images.com

Team: Abt Sportsline
Car: Audi A4 DTM (09)
Age: 32
Nationality: German
Starts: 106
Wins: 6
Poles: 9
Titles: 2 (2008, '09)
2010: 4th in DTM

The double champion was Audi's best-placed driver for a third straight year in 2010, the balance of the A4 on the latest-spec Dunlop rubber suiting his driving style perfectly, but possibly leaving him more susceptible to any different handling characteristics produced by the series' new Hankook rubber.

His challenges for 2011 are twofold; firstly to try to lead the Audi revival after only two wins in 11 races last year, and secondly in denying team-mates Mattias Ekstrom, Mike Rockenfeller and Oliver Jarvis top dog status within the manufacturer.

Bruno Spengler © sutton-images.com

Team: HWA
Car: Mercedes-Benz C-Class (09)
Age: 27
Nationality: Canadian
Starts: 63
Wins: 7
Poles: 7
2010: 3rd in DTM

Last year brought about the re-emergence of the Canadian, who broke what was virtually a three-year winless run to take two victories and lead the championship for most of the season. All the while though, di Resta was closing him down and when crunch time came at the Shanghai season finale, it was Spengler who went to pieces and crashed twice during the weekend.

How well he recovers from that disappointment is likely to dictate the shape of his season, although there are few doubts over his speed; after all, he did take the runner-up spot in the championship in 2006 and '07.

Mattias Ekstrom © sutton-images.com

Team: Abt Sportsline
Car: Audi A4 DTM (09)
Age: 32
Nationality: Swedish
Starts: 102
Wins: 14
Poles: 17
2010: 5th in DTM, NASCAR debut

Not since 2007 has Swedish ace Ekstrom finished a season as Audi's top driver, and he was often anonymous last year; the key exceptions being a dominant victory at Valencia and a relentless late-race charge at the Norising that ended with him on the bootlid of winner Green's Mercedes.

His NASCAR Sprint Cup debut at Sears Point opened his eyes to a career outside the DTM, but it will be crucial that he does not let rumours of a full-time switch to the US distract him from the task in hand.

MIke Rockenfeller © LAT

6 Mike Rockenfeller

Team: Abt Sportsline
Car: Audi A4 DTM (09)
Age: 27
Nationality: German
Starts: 42
Wins: 0 (Best finish 3rd)
Poles: 0 (Best grid 2nd)
2010: 7th in DTM, won Le Mans and Daytona 24 Hours

The most exciting news from Audi this season is Rockenfeller's promotion from a year-old Phoenix car to a current-spec Abt machine, in place of Martin Tomczyk.

On the face of it, two podiums in four years (and one in the last 40 races) doesn't look too special, but 'Rocky' had a much better campaign last year after being overlooked for promotion in place of Oliver Jarvis, and added to his DTM exploits by winning the round-the-clock enduros at Le Mans and Daytona. He says a strong DTM year is just as important as winning Le Mans again, and he could well manage both.

Miguel Molina © sutton-images.com

Team: Abt Sportsline
Car: Audi A4 DTM (08)
Age: 22
Nationality: Spanish
Starts: 11
Wins: 0 (Best finish 4th)
Poles: 0 (Best grid 4th)
2010: 10th in DTM

Spaniard Molina hardly had a stunning track record when he arrived in the DTM last year - four wins in four years of Formula Renault 3.5 meant that he didn't exactly stand out from the crowd. But, given a chance in an older-spec Audi, he thrived and was easily 2010's top rookie - after all, nobody would have expected him to beat Paul di Resta to the fastest lap at Brands Hatch.

He has the same Abt-run A4 this year and looks like being the best of the drivers in '08 machinery. If the older cars have a chance to win races, don't bet against him becoming Spain's first DTM victor.

Oliver Jarvis © LAT

Team: Abt Sportsline
Car: Audi A4 DTM (09)
Age: 27
Nationality: British
Starts: 32
Wins: 0 (Best finish 2nd)
Poles: 1
2010: 9th in DTM

With a promotion to the crack Abt squad and a current-spec car at his disposal, big things were expected of Jarvis - the 2005 McLaren/AUTOSPORT/BRDC Award winner - last season. Unfortunately for the Brit, it just didn't work out for him; a first lap retirement at the Hockenheim season opener and a late fuel pump failure that cost him a podium at Valencia being particularly gutting.

He's putting it all behind him now though and looking for his first DTM victory. He may well achieve it too, provided Audi stops pressing the self-destruct button that blighted its 2010.

David Coulthard © sutton-images.com

Team: Mucke Motorsport
Car: Mercedes-Benz C-Class (08)
Age: 40
Nationality: British
Starts: 11
Wins: 0 (Best finish 8th)
Poles: 0 (Best finish 6th)
2010: 16th in DTM

Formula 1 victories count for nothing as far as the DTM is concerned - just ask Mika Hakkinen, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Ralf Schumacher. Coulthard, a 13-time grand prix winner, started slowly last year in his rookie year and didn't manage a single top 10 finish until the penultimate race at Adria.

By then though, he had started to make his way up the grid and his class showed through at the Shanghai finale when he qualified eighth and finished sixth with the fastest lap too. Once again he has an older-spec Mucke Mercedes at his disposal and, with a year's experience under his belt, should challenge for regular points.

Edoardo Mortara © sutton-images.com

Team: Team Rosberg
Car: Audi A4 DTM (08)
Age: 24
Nationality: Italian
Starts: 0
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
2010: F3 Euro Series champion, Macau Grand Prix winner

The Italian makes his DTM debut as the reigning F3 Euro Series champion - just as Paul di Resta did in 2007. Whether he can do what the British ace has managed, and use the DTM as a springboard to a Formula 1 seat, will unfold over the next couple of seasons, but for now, he has an older-spec Audi, run by Team Rosberg, at his disposal in which to learn the ropes.

The Volkswagen-Audi Group has already put a sizeable amount into his career progression over the past two years, and will be looking for a return on its investment, but is unlikely to make any snap decisions over his future if he does not live up to expectations this season.