Motorsport: Neel Jani happy about WRC lead

Instead of flying directly from Biel via Zurich to Spain for Porsche's next test drives, Neel Jani made a detour via Paris to watch the FIA Formula E live for once. "This is just something completely different from what we've been used to. But it's interesting," was the Porsche works driver's verdict. With the e.dams-Renault team, the man from Berne was pleased to see Sébastien Buemi advance to third place.

Ingolstadt meanwhile accept qualification
Team co-owner Jean-Paul Driot and some of the mechanics know Jani from his time in Formula Renault V6 and A1 Grand Prix, when the French used the race car with which he won the Nations' Cup for Switzerland. Seven years later, Neel Jani is back at the top of a world championship classification. Due to the disqualification of the winning Audi R18 driven by Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer at Silverstone, Neel Jani, Marc Lieb and Romain Dumas moved up to first place as the runners-up at the finish of the 6-hour race. Audi took the route of appeal but because the skid block (reference plate on the underbody), which is too thin, cannot be made thicker because of this, the Ingolstadt-based company now accepts this verdict.

Neel Jani recalls his bad luck last year
"I do feel sorry for Marcel and his teammates, who put in a strong performance. But I'm happy to accept the 25 world championship points for the inherited victory. After all, we were unlucky several times last year as the fastest team and also had to bow to the stable order once, which in retrospect cost me the title," says Neel Jani. Audi and Porsche will have the opportunity to redeem themselves or to confirm their success in a sporting manner on May 7 at Spa (B), where the second round of the World Championship will be held. After that, the countdown to the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 18 and 19, 2016 begins.

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Photos: Peter Wyss, Porsche