Drivers thankful for car safety

Today's race at Hockenheim came to a halt when Kristensen spun in front of the majority of the field coming out of Turn 2. And as he attempted to correct the spin, he was hit hard by Premat - and Suzie Stoddart, while Adam Carroll also clipped his Audi.

Kristensen and Premat were evacuated to a nearby hospital, and the Frenchman is believed to have a possible back injury. Kristensen was luckier, complaining only of a headache.

"Many thanks for all the good wishes I received this afternoon," the Dane stated. "I'm fine, only my head is hurting quite a bit. Of course the fact that our cars are so safe paid off yet again.

"Naturally, my congratulations go to Eki, Martin and the whole team on the double victory. But the most important thing now is for Alex to get well again soon."

Premat himself added: "That was a serious accident, and I'm happy that the Audi A4 DTM is such a safe car. I'm hoping to be fit again soon."

Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport, said was relieved to see both his drivers conscious and also commended DTM for its safety standards.

"After the accident, I was deeply worried about Tom and Alexandre," the Austrian said. "That I was able to speak to both drivers in the Medical Center shortly after the collision shows that the DTM's safety concept works.

"Due to the serious nature of the accident, Tom and Alexandre were taken to hospitals for further checks. The entire Audi team wishes Alexandre a quick recovery."