Paffett Hits Out at Kristensen

Paffett was running about seven seconds adrift of then leader Kristensen at two-thirds distance when suddenly the Dane slowed his pace to hinder Paffett, in what appeared to be a bid to help his Audi teammate Mattias Ekstrom recover some lost ground.

As Kristensen's second mandatory pitstop loomed, Paffett found himself exposed to some tough door-banging tactics from the leading Audi and he was far from impressed.

"Tom didn't try to slow me down, he tried to drive me into the wall," said a furious Paffett. "Everybody respects him as a very experienced and very competitive driver, but today I've basically got no respect for him any more.

"I think to slow me down is okay, but when they start to drive you into Armco barriers and walls then it gets a bit silly.

"He had to slow me down so much to make any difference and I think for his reputation he would have been much better continuing where he was and doing what he could."

As soon as Paffett became aware of Kristensen's actions he deliberately eased off enough to stay out of trouble - and duly took the lead when the Audi peeled into the pits.

"The team told me to be careful but I was losing about four seconds per lap. Luckily as soon as he was in the pits I had a 2.5 seconds gap and I was just shifting up early and not braking too hard to make sure I got the car home."

Paffett's victory, his third of the season, has helped him seize the lead of the Championship from Ekstrom, who eventually finished third behind Audi teammate Christian Abt.