The Winward Mercedes driver, Maro Engel, managed to surpass the three Porsche drivers in the title decision at Hockenheim, although this was not enough to secure the championship, finishing twelve points behind the champion, Thomas Preining, who finished third.
Engel expressed his surprise at the intensity of the competition during the early stages of the race. “Looking forward and backward, I wondered if I was in the wrong race, as if it was the Porsche Cup“. According to him, the rival drivers showed very strong performance that complicated his life during the competition.
Complicated Stages of the Race
Engel described the initial phase as “very tough” and noted that he had had an old precedent at Sachsenring, where he had been attacked very aggressively. “I received many impacts, pushed towards the wall, and it was clear that I needed to win the race”.
Engel’s main rivals on this occasion were not Preining, who had started from seventh position, but the pole-sitter Bastian Buus and Preining’s teammate, Ricardo Feller, who started just in front of him. Engel managed to overtake Feller on the first turn but admitted that the maneuver was very tight and he was very close to the wall.
Race Strategy
Feller, who let Preining pass shortly after, considered that his action was based on avoiding competition for the title: “I didn’t want to influence the championship, but to stay out of it and not affect the races of others.” Engel, on the other hand, received instructions from his track engineer that this could be resolved during the pit stop, although he soon commanded that the competition should be fair for all.
On lap 10, Engel fought against Buus, who did not make it easy for him to pass, causing contact. Engel expressed that Buus had turned towards him as if he wasn’t there. Buus ultimately defended his action by making it clear that he was not competing for Preining but for his own victories.
Post-Race Reflections
Despite the tension of the race, the Porsche drivers showed good synergy during the competition, but each had the goal of winning individually. The final battle between Engel and his Porsche rivals once again confirmed the intense rivalry that characterizes this championship and the level of competition among the drivers.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
