Series rookie Robin Frijns had his first taste of a DTM car in the collective tests carried out by all manufacturers this week at Vallelunga, where Audi Sport tested the new RS 5 DTM which has been modified to the new technical regulations.

The Dutchman had two short outings on Friday and Saturday, which were hampered due to rain and inclement weather.

Thursday’s rollout and extensive tests on Friday were carried out by Jamie Green, with the Briton able to run on a dry track in the afternoon.

“Today was our first outing of 2018. We’ve got some changes in the car, so less downforce is the main point,” said Green.

“We have a few technical changes to the rules, so today was a bit difficult. It was wet and cold, so we had a few problems and off-track excursions in the morning session. But we made progress and put in a few kilometres in the dry in the afternoon and it was our first impression of this year’s car.”

Current tchampion René Rast took over on Saturday, with Audi testing their new aerodynamic kit, although progress was delayed due to rain.

“Despite the adverse weather conditions, and more specifically on Saturday, I’m generally satisfied with how the test went. We completed more than 200 laps, covering around 900 kilometres and generated a good data basis from which we can now setup our car step by step for the new aerodynamic configuration,” said DTM project leader Andreas Roos.