Di Resta slams Eng after losing DTM points lead
Mercedes driver Paul di Resta has slammed BMW's Philipp Eng for what he felt was brake-testing in the Nurburgring DTM opener, before their collision cost di Resta the points lead.
Di Resta had been in fifth position and closing on fourth when Eng dived down the inside of the Mercedes driver at the exit of the sweeping Turns 2 and 3, making contact with di Resta and spinning him out.
Forced to select reverse before continuing, di Resta dropped to 11th and finished last after rear damage while Eng was hit with a drive-through penalty.
Di Resta has fallen to second in the championship due to Paffett's third place.
When asked by Motorsport.com for his take on the incident, di Resta said: "I haven’t seen it [the contact]. The stewards have taken care of it. What is not acceptable is what went on before that.
"He brake-tested me three times and that is not acceptable. It’s unsportsmanlike. [It's very] clear he was given an instruction which he followed.
"I’ve not actually seen it [contact]. I don’t want to see it, to be honest, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a slam-dunk.
"It doesn’t help me. We are in the championship [fight], going for fourth [on track], which would have been a very good day."
BMW motorsport boss Jens Marquardt says di Resta told him about the 'tactical' brake-testing, adding "I have no idea. I’ll take a look".
Eng moved to apologise to di Resta in the mixed zone, with the Mercedes driver refusing to shake hands.
"It was unfortunate. First I feel sorry for Mercedes and Paul for the situation but I think it was one of those moments you don’t want to have," Eng told Motorsport.com "The gap was there, I went for it, then it was gone.
"He was close once or twice, I defended my position. I don’t know what he is talking about. I didn’t brake test him."
Paul Di Resta, Mercedes-AMG Team HWA, Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM
Photo by: ITR eV
Glock and Juncadella at odds
BMW's Timo Glock and Dani Juncadella also had a contentious battle, beginning with Juncadella forcing the BMW driver off the track at Turn 2/3 complex, which earned the Mercedes driver a warning.
Glock then hit back by forcing Juncadella onto the grass on the run towards the Turn 4 left-hander, dropping the former towards the rear of the field and earning the BMW man a warning of his own.
"I am not a dirty driver. I tried to give him as much room as possible but he kept hitting me constantly from the outside," Juncadella said when asked by Motorsport.com for his view. "I gave him enough room.
"OK, he went off-track, but it’s an area where you can come back easy, you just don’t gain a position.
"Next time, he was like I was a cone in the middle of the track, he kept driving me off and not giving me one millimetre in a place where there is grass, the wall.
"It’s not smart from a guy so experienced. I expect something different, it’s not nice for him to be like this style."
Glock told Motorsport.com: "He [Juncadella] pushed me off the track twice to make sure I am not going to pass him and put Paul under pressure. In the end, the only way to get by was to do the same to him.
"If he had not started it, I would not have been so aggressive. I think to be honest, they [the DTM] need to be harsher on penalties, if we only have warnings, you take the warning and that’s it."
Timo Glock, BMW Team RMG, BMW M4 DTM
Photo by: James Gasperotti / LAT Images
Previous article
Nurburging DTM: Rast wins, Paffett retakes points lead
Next article
Nurburgring DTM: Rast completes pole position sweep
About this article
| Series | DTM |
| Event | Nurburgring |
| Drivers | Paul di Resta , Philipp Eng |
| Author | Tom Errington |
WRT Team Audi Sport – 2020 DTM Season Review
DTM 2020: Audi bids farewell
DTM: Hockenheim - Race 2 Highlights
DTM 2020: Race 1 highlights – Hockenheim
DTM: Hockenheim - Race 1 Highlights
The slow-burner threatening to unseat Audi's DTM king
It's taken him a while to emerge as a consistent title challenger, but in the final year of DTM's Class One ruleset, Nico Muller has smoothed the rough edges and has double champion stablemate Rene Rast working harder than ever to keep up in the title race.
Does 2000 hold the answers to the DTM's current crisis?
It's 20 years since the DTM roared back into life at a packed Hockenheim with a back-to-basics approach as the antidote to its high-tech past. Now it's on its knees again, so is it time to recall the lessons learned in 2000?
Ranking the 10 best Audi DTM drivers
Audi last week announced it would be exiting the DTM at the end of 2020, bringing the curtain down on 20 years of continuous participation since the series' reboot in 2000.
Why the DTM must reinvent itself after Audi exit
Audi's announcement that it will withdraw from the DTM at the end of 2020 was the latest blow for a series that has lost three manufacturers in as many years. Some major soul-searching will now be required to assess how it can survive.
Why cynic Berger changed his mind over green tech in racing
DTM boss Gerhard Berger was a detractor of Formula E and held a reluctance for his series to embrace greener engine technologies. However, this cynic's tune has had to change to ensure DTM's existence as the motorsport world moves forward
What the fallout from Aston's engine split means for 2020
Aston Martin's DTM arrival, via the R-Motorsport outfit, was heralded as a salvation of sorts for the series. After plenty of bumps in the road in 2019, the team finds itself in a similar position to the one it was in 12 months ago. Can it get its act together?
How the DTM and Super GT can build on their experiment
The Class One 'Dream Race' staged by the DTM and SUPER GT proved a hit - from a competitive and collaborative standpoint. The next step will be for both parties to ensure a successful trial ends up being more than just that.
Robot pitcrews and hydrogen – is DTM's concept plausible?
DTM organiser ITR has mooted a radical plan for a "truly new and inspiring" future motorsport series. How realistic are its suggestions of automated pitstops and 1000bhp hydrogen-fuelled touring cars?
