With eight cars, Audi is the strongest brand in the field in terms of numbers. During the final pre-season tests at the Lausitzring, the new Audi RS5 DTM with its more than 610bhp 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo engine was the fastest car. Even so, nobody ventures a prediction before the first 2019 DTM race.

"No one knows where they stand," says Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. "Qualifying on Saturday will provide an initial indication. But even then we won't know who will be the best over the racing distance. More than ever before in the DTM, tire management and the driver will be crucial in the race."

The new turbo engines deliver some 100 horsepower more than the previous naturally aspirated V8 engines - resulting in clearly higher loads acting on the tyres that have remained unchanged compared to last year. At the same time, the number of tyre sets per car and race weekend has been reduced from eight to seven. For the two qualifying sessions and the two races, only five tyre sets are now available.