Photo: DTM Media

Gary Paffett admits to error at Zandvoort

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Mercedes DTM driver Gary Paffett has admitted to a mistake in Race 1 at Zandvoort, which saw him drop from fifth to out of the points in 11th by the end of the race.

Paffett, who won the DTM title in 2005, qualified fifth, and appeared to be attacking BMW’s Augusto Farfus for fourth in the closing stages of the 40-minute race.

After the first race of the Zandvoort DTM weekend, Paffett admitted to misjudging the BMW driver’s braking point, which led to him going off the track and dropping to 11th.

The Briton also clarified he wasn’t trying to pass the Brazilian.

“I wasn’t trying to overtake him [Farfus] there [in Turn 7], I was just trying to get close,” explained the Briton. “He started to struggle with the tyres a bit, I had the DRS and he moved to the inside 7, and braked a bit early.

“I just misjudged his braking point, touched the back of his car, and that was that.”

The only Mercedes driver to score, was Pascal Wehrlein who took the final point in 10th place.