Audi Sport boss Wolfgang Ullrich has admitted that the manufacturer paid the price for taking unnecessary risks after Timo Scheider had his best lap taken away in Q1 at Adria.
Scheider was set to be eliminated in the first part of qualifying, but he then got himself up to second with his final lap. However, that time was taken away from the reigning champion, when it was deemed that he started the lap just after the checkered flag.
Scheider was furious when he was given the news while waiting to start Q2, but Audi held up its hand after qualifying.
"With Timo, we just mistimed things, it was a mistake," said Ullrich. "We should not have put ourselves in this position. We said before the session that we should not take any risks, and in the end that is what we did. And even if Timo had made it through, then it would have been Mattias Ekstrom getting knocked out, so this was not an ideal solution."
Ekstrom had left the garage following Scheider's lap, and the 2004 and '07 champion had to get back into his car in a hurry to take part in Q2.