Audi Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg says his "scary" incident with team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto was a combination of luck and judgement as the German avoided a disastrous accident in the Dutch Grand Prix.
With the Zandvoort circuit still damp from a pre-race shower but dry enough for slick tyres, Max Verstappen suffered a heavy crash at the end of lap one in the final, banked corner. In reaction Bortoleto went through a 360-degree spin as his car became stationary in the middle of the track.
As oncoming traffic had to take avoiding action, Bortoleto's Audi team-mate Hulkenberg was somehow narrowly able to avoid spearing into the side of the Brazilian's car, swerving around the left-hand side.
"It was scary, sketchy," a relieved Hulkenberg reported. "The whole track was very dry, just that corner stayed much wetter and caught people out. It was very tricky and I wasn't sure where he was going to go, if he was going to roll up or roll down. I was waiting, hesitating until the last moment. A good portion of luck not to hit each other there, but that was too close for comfort.
"I saw it happen almost in slow motion at that speed. A sheet of paper would have fit between us, but not much more."
"Days of Thunder"
From the pitwall, the team's racing director Allan McNish also had his heart in his mouth as he watched both onboards simultaneously.
"I live every second with them, which is why I'm turning grey very quickly at times," the three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner quipped.
"Max shunted in front of him, and it was the trickiest corner on the circuit by a long way at that particular point. But it was only on the replay where it was quite evident how close it was between our two cars.
"When I first saw Gabriel spinning and then Nico coming out the other side of it, I didn't quite realise that he had gone into the smoke. So, it was a bit too much Days of Thunder for my heart..."
Allan McNish, Racing Director, Audi F1 Team
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
Dissecting the incident as a former racer, McNish said: "When something's happening ahead of you, there is a mental process, but there's also an instinct. It's instinctive knowing where to go and what to do. Some people have got it and some people don't.
"And then after that, there's an element of instinct to judgement. How far do you go? In which direction? A banking is a different thing, which is why I was very impressed with what Gabi was able to do to keep it in the middle of the circuit and for it not to spoon up into the wall.
"Whether it was instinct or skill and focus or anything else, I don't know. But it was a bloody good save!"
Hulkenberg went on to take four points in eighth, marking Audi's fourth consecutive points-scoring weekend, while Bortoleto finished a distant 13th.
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