Following a disappointing 2010 campaign in which it lost the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) crown to rival Mercedes, Audi Sport is focused on regaining the title in 2011.
Audi will again field nine cars in the DTM next year, run by its Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg teams. The driver lineup for these teams will be announced in January.
Over the winter, the Audi Sport engineers will mainly concentrate upon the development work with the series' new tyre supplier, who is yet to be announced.
Head of Engineering at Audi Sport, Dr Martin Muhlmeier said: “In 2010 the tires were a really crucial topic which caused us to fall a little behind our competitor. This mustn't happen again.”
With the current development freeze ongoing into 2011, the team at Audi Sport is working on the successor for the current Audi A4 DTM, in readiness for the new technical regulations that will be introduced for 2012. The first tests for the car, internally designated as the “R17”, are planned for next summer.