Yvan Muller insists he could not avoid Alex MacDowall Macau clash
Yvan Muller insists there was nothing he could do to avoid putting Alex MacDowall into the barriers in a spectacular accident in the World Touring Car Championship season finale in Macau
MacDowall had started from reverse-grid pole and was running fourth when triple champion Muller made contact with him on the exit of the high-speed Mandarin bend, sending the Bamboo Chevrolet into a violent head-on impact.
The car then spun down the track several times. MacDowall was unhurt.
British Touring Car graduate MacDowall had no doubt that Muller was at fault.
"Muller just completely misjudged it," said MacDowall.
"I had to be careful not to hit Pepe [Oriola] in front of me as he defended but Muller just carried on flat-out behind, closed in too quickly and just turned me round.
"He could see we were battling. He has just gone in and hit me.
"It doesn't matter what Yvan says, it was definitely his fault.
"I was feeling pretty hot-headed afterwards but I'm OK, thankfully. It was a big hit with the barrier."
Muller insisted that MacDowall's sliding car was impossible to miss.
"I was sorry about that, but I couldn't do anything," he said.
"MacDowall unfortunately went sideways [and] lifted off at a place where we are usually flat. He was probably 10 or 15kmh slower than the lap before.
"I was on my brakes where I should be on my throttle. I did my best to avoid him, but I couldn't.
"I am sorry about that, but on that one I couldn't do anything."
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