The Austrian driver Thomas Preining achieved a fifth place in the chaotic DTM race in Hockenheim, after falling from third place on the grid to fourteenth position during the first lap. Preining has been very annoyed by the actions of his rivals during the competition.
“The start phase was very chaotic; unfortunately, some people tried to take me out,” Preining stated to ServusTV. Despite the difficulties, he acknowledged that things could have been worse and he had the opportunity to recover important positions.
Preining’s complaints arise after a collision with driver Thierry Vermeulen from the Emil Frey Ferrari team, who hit him at turn 2 and caused him to lose eleven positions. In a more detailed comment on the incident, Preining expressed that it was clear that Vermeulen had no intention of colliding.
Preining remarked that he expected a good performance from all competitors, but added that he could not tolerate anyone trying to deliberately take him out of the race. Although he did not specify who that rival was, his concern was related to the intense competition among drivers.
One of the names that could be under suspicion is Kelvin van der Linde, teammate of his championship rival, Marco Wittmann. After recovering, Preining found himself with van der Linde at the hairpin turn, where the latter fiercely defended his position, causing Preining to lose more positions.
Despite the difficulties, Preining managed a magnificent pit stop and impressive overtakes that allowed him to finish fifth. Now, ahead of the last race of the season, he finds himself with a 20-point lead over Wittmann and 22 over the Winward Mercedes driver, meaning he only needs to manage the points in the next competition.
The driver remains optimistic and hopes for a good qualifying session and a clean race without incidents, reiterating his confidence in the team. “Everything is possible if we avoid stupid moves during the competition,” concluded Preining.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
