Motorsport: Marcel Fässler wants revenge at Spa
Easy come, easy go: That was the motto for Marcel Fässler, whose Audi was disqualified after his triumph in the opening race of the World Endurance Championship at Silverstone. Now he is vowing revenge on Saturday in Belgium. No, the news of the disqualified victory in England did not come as a shock, says Marcel Fässler. "But it was a huge disappointment. [...]
No, Marcel Fässler was not shocked by the news that his victory in England had been revoked. "But it was a huge disappointment. Because the loss of 25 championship points is annoying." As AutoSprintCH reported, his compatriot Neel Jani from the Porsche team is now happy about this. How could it happen that the underbody panel was too thin during the final inspection? "Because we had only completed one practice session in the dry, it was difficult to say how deep we could go with the car. In terms of feeling, we were on the safe side. But that was for others to decide."
Although the plate was only too abraded in one place, this meant the exclusion from the classification. "This penalty is extreme, but that's what the regulations say," sighed the three-time Le Mans winner and 2012 world champion. At least it was positive that Audi was able to demonstrate the competitiveness of the radically new R18. "That was a big relief for us. Because nobody knew beforehand where we really stood. That's why our pole position surprised us. If the number 1 Porsche, which had been leading for a long time, had not retired due to an accident, it would have been difficult for us in the race. But we still managed to win under our own steam. It was nice to be in the middle of the podium once again."
Fond memories of last year's victory
The last time the soon-to-be 40-year-old from Schwyz enjoyed this feeling was exactly one year ago in Spa (B), where the second round of the 2016 World Endurance Championship over six hours took place on Saturday. Last year, Porsche finished in the top three positions on the grid, but deprived itself of victory, which Audi unexpectedly took. Fässler is therefore cautious with his forecast: "I think that everyone will line up there with a different aero configuration than in Silverstone. It will certainly be very close again. I'm motivated after our performance in England and want to close the points gap as quickly as possible with André (Lotterer) and Benoît (Tréluyer). Otherwise, Le Mans, where there are double points, will be decisive for us again."
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Photos: Audi
