Audi Sport Team Rosberg’s Jamie Green says he is positive after the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters race at Oschersleben, despite losing out on a chance of victory or even points on race day.
Green, who qualified in tenth for the race held in eastern Germany, found himself leading the wet race after 19 laps, having worked his way to the front as a result of the wet weather, three safety car periods and differing pit strategies.
The Brit appeared to be in a class of his own at one stage, opening up a ten second lead over then-second placed Adrien Tambay at the half-way stage of the race.
However a final safety car period at the wrong time scuppered Green’s chances of a first victory since 2012, with the Brit dropping to ninth after his final pitstop.
A decision to switch to slick tyres for the final six laps looked to be the right one for Green, until he slid off the circuit on the final lap whilst running in seventh position.
“A long story,” said Green of his race at the end of the day. “My pace was good, I was running in front with a large advantage. Then the safety car was deployed and the field was pushed together.
“Following the safety car period, I was initially able to pull ahead but then had to make my mandatory pit stop. We opted for slicks, which was the right choice. I still overtook (Gary) Paffett and (Martin) Tomczyk. I was on Miguel’s (Molina) heels and in the chicane put on a bit too much pressure. That caused me to lose control of the rear and to retire on the last lap, which is very painful.”
Despite an 18th placed finish meaning Green still has no points in 2014, he remained positive with his race weekend.
“I showed my ability and my speed today, which was positive for me and for the team because this was only my second race with Team Rosberg,” concluded Green.
For Team Rosberg Director Arno Zensen, the result represents the continuation of a poor run of form, which means the team haven’t scored in three consecutive events now.
“Misfortune has still not left us,” lamented Zensen, whose outfit finished last in the 2013 Team’s Championship. “Jamie, from my point of view, drove a sensational race. The safety car killed him.
“The decision to switch to slicks at the end wasn’t wrong, but the excursion shortly before the end was of course a shame.”
Zensen did not, however, fault rookie Nico Müller, who finished 16th for the second consecutive time.
“Nico first had to learn how to drive a DTM car in the rain,” added Zensen. “It was going pretty well for him and in tenth place he was already nibbling on points. Then the spin happened. But you can’t fault him for that. As I said before – he drove the RS 5 DTM in rain for the first time today.”