The first race of the 2026 DTM season, held at the Red Bull Ring, was marked by the dramatic retirement of Jules Gounon, driver of the Winward Mercedes, who was fiercely battling for victory.
Gounon was close to the race leader, Thomas Preining, when, with just over five laps to go, a puff of smoke emerged from the right rear wheel of his vehicle, forcing him to retire and leaving him frustrated.
“It’s really annoying. I haven’t had much luck lately,” commented Gounon. “I have worked very hard during the winter and made difficult decisions in my life to try to come back better than before.”
Despite a not entirely optimal qualifying, initially placed in sixth position, Gounon made a great start and climbed to fourth place. With a smart strategy and a well-executed pit stop, he positioned himself favorably to fight for victory.
The French driver pointed out a suspension problem as the cause of his retirement. “All the work and sacrifices of the winter were paying off. After completing the last corner, I felt the steering fail, and I realized that it was all over.”
Gounon’s problem is not unique. The previous year, another Mercedes-AMG GT3, driven by Lucas Auer, also experienced a suspension failure during testing. At that time, it was a defect in the axle that caused the failure.
After an initial assessment, his team confirmed that indeed a suspension component had failed, which prevented Gounon from adding valuable 20 points to the standings.
Gounon, who is still seeking his first victory after a promising rookie season, acknowledges that every point is crucial in such a competitive championship. “In recent years, I am always fighting for two or three points at the end of the championship. Therefore, losing 20 in this way hurts.”
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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