Both have won the DTM twice before and both have been on the stop step of the podium at Oschersleben as well. Still, the coming weekend differs a lot for the two Audi drivers Mattias Ekström and Timo Scheider.
Ekström is traveling to the Motorsport Arena as the leader of the standings. Scheider, after a compulsory break, is returning to the cockpit of his Audi RS 5 DTM on the track he celebrated his first victory on in 2008.
“I’m looking forward to my comeback in the DTM,” Scheider said at an Audi telephone press conference on Wednesday. “Obviously, I’ve got no chance of winning the championship anymore, but my goal remains unchanged: winning races. My team-mate Mike Rockenfeller showed at Moscow that this is possible with a Phoenix Audi – and, actually, we’ve always been on a similar level so far this season.”
Mattias Ekström currently has a six-point advantage over Pascal Wehrlein. That the youngster just recently stated he felt no pressure, surprises Ekström, the old hand, a little: “Ever since I’ve been 15 years old, I’ve been putting pressure on myself – that boosts performance. Obviously, it’s always fun to drive a race car. But it turns into tremendous fun when you battle for victories and trophies. It’s a good thing that in the DTM a few years of experience under your belt give you an advantage over the young guns.”