Violent discussions after the DTM title final in Hockenheim because of the black flags against Emil-Frey-Ferrari pilot Jack Aitken and Grasser-Lamborghini driver Jordan Pepper: The two title candidates were raised three penalty-lap penalties because they were accused of overtaking rival Lucas Auer under yellow flag. But both ignored the punishment and were disqualified!
How did it come about? At the time of the incident, there was a mistake in the racing registration system and on the display in the cockpit, which showed the yellow flag in the fifth curve. “We said Pepper: yellow in turn 5! He overtaken at turn 3,” explains team boss Gottfried Grasser.
“However, on the right side of Turn 3 there was a route post that swirled the yellow flag. Jordan did not see it. But that was incorrectly marked on the track sketch, and the info on the monitor was also wrong.”
Grasser team misled
For this reason, the Grasser team was firmly convinced that one was right. And did not compete. “We didn’t know anything about Turn 3,” explains Grasser, who even got in touch with race director Sven Stoppe to save at least Peppers fifth place. “There were only three rounds to drive. We would have been gone if we had started the punishment.”
In retrospect, however, he says: “Only the physical route that was at Turn 3 was decisive. And the yellow flag has a priority. So we were not right.”
Didn’t Jack Aitken overtake yellow at all?
The situation at the Emil Frey team from Jack Aitken, who has lost a fourth place. The group is still convinced that the punishment was a complete wrong decision. “From our point of view, Jack’s overtaking maneuver took place after the yellow phase,” said technology chief Jürg Flach in an interview with Motorsport-Total.com.
“Our onboard also shows how Jack told us that he only started overtaking after the green flag.”
Therefore, after the race, they wanted to convince those responsible that the decision was wrong. “We had hoped that after the race we could negotiate and also explain that it was already correct what Jack did,” explains Flach, why the three penalty-lap penalty that corresponds to 15 seconds and had thrown back the British at the end of the field.
“It has nothing to do with unsportsmanlike behavior”
“We would not have thought that the black flag would come for us,” he says surprised. “It has nothing to do with unsportsmanlike behavior, but that we still fought for positions in the championship. It would not have been enough for the front, but we had a good pace and wanted to try everything.”
You invest so much in our commitment here in the DTM. We can’t just throw everything overboard, “argues Flach. Apart from that, it would have been over if the punishment had started.
“If you do this, how do they want to classify you somewhere afterwards when the decision is reversed?” Asks Flach. Curious: 5 green was even displayed on the monitor for ten seconds. And about at the time when the incident happened.
Nevertheless, the matter is done because there is no protest against decisions by the race director. What are the consequences of the disqualification? Without them, Aitken would not have become eighth with 162 points in the overall ranking, but came fifth with 175 points.