Tom Coronel is keen to forget his disastrous World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) weekend in Shanghai, which saw the ROAL Motorsport star forced out of both races with heavy damage.
Coronel was forced out of the first WTCC race in China after just one corner, having been caught up in an accident with Campos Racing’s John Filippi ahead and Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Mehdi Bennani behind.
As the field went through turn one, Coronel was forced to brake harder due to Filippi and Honda’s Gabriele Tarquini getting together. The move caused Bennani to bump into the rear of Coronel, sending him into Filippi, whose spinning car then collected the right-rear corner of Coronel’s Chevrolet, destroying the suspension and forcing the Dutchman out of the race.
“This is really, really annoying,” said a despondent Coronel after the races. “I am really pissed off. It all looked so good. By making the right changes to the car, we were on the place, everything was all right, we had the speed and qualifying went very well. I didn’t make any mistakes and I completed some really good laps. We were in control of all the elements.
“Thus, I was ninth on the grid for race one and after a rocket start, I was already up in fifth or sixth place. Filippi and Tarquini tangled in the first corner and I had to brake hard, so that Bennani ran into the back of my car and hit Filippi’s car, which was rolling backwards.
“In the process, the right rear wheel was damaged and ended up underneath the car. When I had got out of the car, I saw that it had even torn a hole in the chassis. I knew right away that this couldn’t be repaired quickly, and that my second place on the grid for the second race was gone up in smoke as a result.
“What happened afterwards when the car was towed away really was the limit. That only made the damage even bigger! What an amateurish move! Nevertheless, once the car was back in the pits, we had a close look at the damage and we are certain that the car could be ready again for the races in Thailand.
“So, let’s forget about this weekend and focus on the races in Thailand. When the car is as good there as it was here, it should be possible to finish well up the order.”
It is the fourth time this season that Coronel has failed to score any points in a WTCC weekend, leaving him 12th overall in the driver’s championship standings on 39 points.
Watch: Carnage in first corner for Coronel after crash in Shanghai, China for the FIA WTCC races