Maro Engel: “I couldn’t do anything anymore”

Winner on the streets of Macau in 2015 on the FIA GT World Cup, Maro engel remains one of the big favorites every year on the Guia route.

Unfortunately for the pilot Mercedes-AMG, competing this year under the GruppeM Racing banner, an accident in the qualifying race undoubtedly put an end to its chances of success in 2019.

Taken out by the car ahead moving right under braking and sending me into the barriers while overtaking. Nothing I could do after that with suspension damage and sliding on the underfloor to avoid hitting @edomortara. Very sorry to him as he was just an innocent victim. pic.twitter.com/IigpqDYTjB

— Maro Engel (@MaroEngel) November 16, 2019

In a fight with Kelvin van der Linde (Audi R8 LMS GT3 – Audi Sport Team Rutronik), the Monegasque attempted an attack at the Lisboa corner before the two cars touched.

Thrown against the barriers on the inside, Engel was unable to do anything to avoid his Mercedes teammate, Edoardo Mortara, a very unintentional victim of the first accident.

 

 

 

 

See this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Onboard view from the Qualification race crash. Nothing I could do to avoid it. Car is broken but repairable. Driver is fine and massively frustrated @mercedesamg @craftbambooracing @grandprixmacau @tsingtao #macau #tsingtao #mercedes

A publication shared by Edward Mortara (@edomortara) on Nov 16, 2019 at 12:02 PST

“For me it's quite clear, I launch to overtake him on the inside, but as soon as he sees me going towards the inside he changes his line and turns right, Maro Engel told us in the Macau paddock. From then on, I can't do anything anymore.

Contact takes place between my front left and his rear right when I pass him. It breaks my direction and its movement pushes me into the barrier on the right. I was a passenger, I am on the flat floor, nothing is stopping because the wheels are detached from the ground.

I'm really sorry for Edo because he had nothing to do with it. There was nothing I could do to avoid him, and I took him out of the race. Me for It’s a maneuver that isn’t done at all., especially in this place. It is well before that it has to shift to the right, but not during braking. »

For his part, Kelvin van der Linde told us that Maro Engel was probably arriving too quickly in the braking zone before hitting the rear of his Audi.

Seriously damaged, the two Mercedes-AMG GT3s of Engel and Mortara are currently in the hands of the mechanics of GruppeM Racing and Craft-Bamboo Racing before the main race of the World Cup, scheduled for tomorrow Sunday.

"I think it's fixable, we'll see in the next few hours, thought Engel. The mechanics are looking at everything. »

Mercedes will nevertheless start in pole position tomorrow, after the victory in the qualifying race of the Italian Raffaele Marciello.