Maro Engel, driver for Winward Mercedes, had to fight hard against three Porsche drivers during the decisive DTM race at Hockenheim. Despite his victory, Engel fell just 12 points short of the title, which was won by Thomas Preining, who finished third.
Engel found himself in a complicated situation in the early laps of the competition, where the Porsche rivals made his race extremely difficult. ‘Looking forward and looking back, I wondered if I was in the right race,’ Engel commented, who admitted that the rival drivers had shown very strong performances. ‘It was a tough race, although I had anticipated it based on what I experienced at Sachsenring.’
Engel had to face a challenging start, with intense competition from Bastian Buus and Ricardo Feller, who hindered his advances. Around the first lap, Engel overtook Feller in a dangerous maneuver, but he acknowledged that the margin with the wall was minimal, although he trusted that the rival would not start pushing him against the barrier.
Feller, who later let Preining pass, pointed out that Engel had a specific goal: to win. ‘He had great speed, so I couldn’t fight too much with him,’ Feller commented regarding Engel’s race.
Meanwhile, Engel had to deal with Buus, who complicated the maneuver in a tight area. Engel noted that Buus closed in as if no one was there, and it ended with contact that highlighted the tension of the moment. Buus defended his action, claiming it was a strategic decision at a critical moment in the race.
In summary, Engel ran an admirable race, but his effort was insufficient to secure the title, which slipped away in the final moments. With the championship in his memories, the Mercedes-AMG driver looks toward a promising future, aspiring to compete better in the upcoming seasons.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
