Nicki Thiim’s title hopes were shattered in Sunday’s DTM race at the Sachsenring when he crashed into Winward Mercedes driver Jules Gounon, who was just returning to the track after his second pit stop. It happened in dramatic fashion, as the “Mamba” was hit hard on the right front by the Aston Martin, leaving the Frenchman with an injury to his left hand.
“I don’t know what happened,” says Gounon. “I was driving and suddenly got hit. It came out of nowhere. Unfortunately, the hit was on the steering.” The Frenchman immediately reported over the radio that he was experiencing pain in his hand – and iced it immediately after the crash.
“I don’t think it’ is broken, but I need to make an X-ray,” says Gounon, who was given a bandage and a splint at the medical center to keep the hand immobilized. The pain was “okay”, he said after the race. “That’s why I think it’s okay.”
“Go hard or go home”: Thiim did not rule out crash before the race
hiim quickly went over to Gounon and asked how he was doing. “Health always comes first,” says the Dane. “Obviously, he has something on his wrist when you get such an unexpected hit. But he can move his hand.”
The Comtoyou Aston Martin driver had announced before the race that he was going to take maximum risks. “I said before the race: Either the car comes back on a flatbed, or we score really good points,” says the son of DTM legend Kurt Thiim, who even has “Go hard or go home” written on his helmet.
But how did Thiim experience the crash? “Luca went completely off, Vermeulen also went straight on – and then I get there,” the Aston Martin driver says, pointing out that Abt Lamborghini driver Luca Engstler had gone into the gravel immediately ahead of him, while Emil Frey Ferrari driver Thierry Vermeulen had only just managed to make the corner.
Thiim convinced: “Something was on the track at that point”
“I see Jules coming out, I brake – and suddenly I completely lose grip and slide into Jules,” Thiim describes the crash. “Wrong time, wrong place! Absolutely no bad intention.” And he makes it clear: “I would not have made the corner if he hadn’t been there. Something was on the track at that point.”
He also noticed in the car “that the deceleration suddenly just dropped off. That is always a sign that there was something there.”
Thiim also says he did not brake too late. And he feels that Engstler’s off supports his theory: “To get to where Luca was, for example, he would have to have a complete brake failure.”
“Car did not slow down”: Engstler believes there was oilÂ
That matches the comments made by Abt Lamborghini driver Engstler: “My feeling was that there was oil in the braking zone – or maybe I touched the white line. Something must have happened. It was very strange. I hit the brakes and immediately went into ABS. The car did not slow down at all. Then it just went straight on.”
According to Engstler, he chose a “similar braking point” to the laps before. And one lap later, everything was “fine again” at that spot.
The 26-year-old suspects that the track still being slightly damp may have played a role. “When oil and water mix, it gets even more slippery than when it’s completely dry.”
Vermeulen also struggles: “A lot of stuff on the track”
And Vermeulen, who had just managed to make the corner immediately beforehand and narrowly avoided Thiim, also had problems. “I saw Gounon coming out of the pits, so I knew I had to brake late to cover him,” says the Dutchman. “And I found a bit less grip than I expected. I don’t know if I was a bit too wide or if there was something on track.”
The Emil Frey Ferrari driver is relieved that he was not the one who hit the Winward Mercedes. According to him the first sector was generally very dirty: “There was a lot of stuff on the track. I think I collected this a bit and in the braking it pushed me a bit wide.”
Marks behind the driver’s door: This is the part of the car Thiim hit Gounon with
Foto: Sven Haidinger/smg
Why Thiim, unlike Engel, was not penalised
That was also the reason why the stewards did not penalize Thiim for the incident, unlike Maro Engel, who took out Kelvin van der Linde at the same spot. Because of the other incidents immediately beforehand, they concluded in their report “that the track surface at this particular point was compromised in terms of available grip.”
Thiim now sits fifth in the standings – 50 points behind DTM leader Thomas Preining, with 56 points still available. “For me, going to Hockenheim with theoretical chances is not happening,” says Thiim, for whom the title fight is effectively over. “You can also drive a little more relaxed then.”
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