“The DTM is a completely international championship. We drive four races in Germany on some of the best tracks – Hockenheim, the Nürburgring, Norisring and the Lausitzring – and five races elsewhere in Europe, in Spain, France Italy, Great Britain and Holland. Only the name is German.”
The 40-year-old was similarly forthright in his views on what new Mercedes signing
Ralf Schumacher might achieve in the category, given fellow ex-
Formula 1 aces such as Mika Hakkinen, Jean Alesi and Heinz-Harald Frentzen all shone sporadically and won races in the DTM, but were never able to find sufficient consistency in order to string together a genuine title bid.
“I think it's not a bad thing for Ralf to be coming to the DTM,” Abt reasoned. “He's very popular in Germany, and many people want to watch him on TV and go to the races to see him.
“He will need someone to help him at the beginning, though, and if Mercedes give him that then I think he will have a chance to close the gap on the cars in front. He is in a 2007 car and it will be completely a learning year, but next year if he has a new car he will have the chance to drive at the front.
“With very good young drivers out there like Spengler and di Resta, it won't be so easy for him though. If he can win races like Mika Hakkinen or Alesi he will be doing a very good job, but the championship? No. It's not possible.”
The championship was something that similarly eluded Abt throughout his DTM career, but despite scoring just four points in 2007 he insists he is leaving the series with only good memories. Though he intends to take it somewhat easier this year – with just limited outings in the Porsche Carrera Cup and possibly the Nürburgring and Spa 24 Hours – he is eyeing a full-time comeback the following season, when he aims to make a sportscar return with VW in the transitional year ahead of the birth of the new all-new
FIA GT GT1 World Championship in 2010.
