Accidents happen sometimes in motorsport – they just do. Sometimes there is no fault; it is an accident in its most basic terms.
Just an accident.
Of course there is no deliberate action or desire to damage, but often the outcome of an incident is some sort of wreckage.
For the teams, it means a loss of position or an end of the end; for the mechanics, it means a late evening with the tools out; for the parents (or backers), it means getting out the wallet.
All parties are aggrieved, but again, this just happens sometimes.
Such was the situation in the opening race of the FIA European Formula 3 Championship at the Norisring today.
Toward the halfway point, the lapped Arjun Maini (having pitted early on) was allowing the field to pass, by reducing speed and moving to the outside line of the circuit. All would have been well had the unsighted Jake Dennis not clattered into the rear of Maini, effectively ending the race for both.
Running in the top eight at the time, Dennis was furious and Maini apologetic, but alas, the damage had been done – there was little that anger was ever going to cure.
It sounds like a silly accident and it was, but such was the spray being lifted, it is unlikely Dennis would have clocked that Maini was there and going as slowly as he was.
Maini for his part was going to slowly. Although his intentions were correct, the Motopark man was travelling at almost half the speed of the lapping drivers, which, coming toward the end of the race, was probably not the wisest of tactics.
But these things will happen. Both machines will be repaired and will start the race later on with (hopefully) no issues. There was anger; there was an apology and eventually tempers cooled.
That’s racing; that’s life.
