How Jack Aitken managed to lose second place and the clear DTM lead three corners before the checkered flag, and why his Emil Frey team warned him
Jack Aitken shed bitter tears after Saturday’s DTM race at the Red Bull Ring: The Emil Frey Ferrari driver was on course for a comfortable second place and would have taken the DTM lead with a twelve-point advantage if he hadn’t flown off the track three corners before the checkered flag and crashed into the tire wall!
“I just saw that his rear right wheel was in the gravel in turn 7,” said Marco Wittmann, who was behind him, describing the incident. “I can’t say what caused it. Was it a driving error, or was it a technical problem with the car? It’s definitely something you wouldn’t wish on any opponent, to drop out like that on the last lap when you’re on course for a podium finish. I feel extremely sorry for him.“
Winner Rast also witnessed the crash: ”I saw it in my rearview mirror and don’t know if there was oil or something else on the track.” Aitken himself was so frustrated after the race that he didn’t give any interviews. However, he clarified via the pit radio: “I’m so sorry. I made a mistake. I’m out.”
Aitken was even warned about oil shortly before the crash
His team had warned him that there might be oil on the track due to a technical problem with Winward Mercedes driver Jules Gounon. “We didn’t know if he had lost oil or just worn a tire,” “We also radioed: ‘Be careful, there may still be oil on the track.’ But he said there was nothing there. It was a driving error.”
And that’s despite the fact that Aitken is actually a driver “who hardly ever makes mistakes,” emphasizes the Swiss. Nevertheless, he has an explanation for the mishap, which ultimately meant that it is now not Aitken but winner Rene Rast who leads the DTM standings, with the Briton eight points behind in fourth place.
“The issue was that many drivers had already driven through the gravel on two wheels at this point, and a dent had developed,” explains Frey-Hilti. “I think he hit that exact hole, which is why he was thrown off balance.”
Emil Frey team worried about Aitken after Wittmann collision
Frey-Hilti, who is also a racing driver himself, knows the corner from a cockpit perspective and is surprised: “I can’t remember anyone ever flying off like that in this corner. I think he drove right into that dent.” Aitken then apparently hit the ground with his underbody, lost control, and his Ferrari suddenly veered to the left.
Before that, the team was worried that Aitken might not make it to the finish line. “We had a pretty heavy collision with Wittmann, who slowed down enormously on the kerb in turn 3,” he says, referring to the duel when Aitken attacked with warmer tires after the pit stop. “He drove into the back of it.”
The fact that Aitken’s Ferrari was not damaged was “also a bit of luck,” he says. “That’s why we were pretty nervous for 20, 25 minutes that we would make it to the finish. We were pretty nervous that the temperature would stay at a decent level, which it did.”
Team boss backs Aitken: “We know what we have in him”
Aitken’s frustration after the race is understandable for the team boss, especially since Aitken had just lost a possible victory at the Sachsenring due to a collision with Thomas Preining and could be clearly leading the championship. “It was pretty tough, but motorsport always goes to the finish line,” he says. Now it’s time to put the matter behind us and look ahead.
“We’re still within striking distance,” Frey-Hilti calculates. “The important thing is that he rebuilds his confidence and keeps going. We know what we have in him. We believe in him. There are other situations where we make mistakes as a team. We are a team—and we win and lose together.”
