- First Barcelona Test - Day One
Wolff blames Nasr for 'unnecessary' accident
Susie Wolff said her accident with Felipe Nasr on the first day of the second pre-season test was "unnecessary" and claims the Sauber driver moved across on her.
Wolff was driving the Williams as part of her new deal as test driver this year and completed over 80 laps in the morning before the clash with Nasr. She explained that she was sticking to her line on the entry to Turn 5 and Nasr cut back across on her as he overtook.
"I was on my outlap [from the pits] and I guess he was already on his flying lap and I was coming into braking zone for Turn 5," she explained. "I stayed on my line and he came across and his rear right hit my front left. It's very difficult to understand how and why it happened, but it did. I think it's on video for everyone to see, but the facts are that I stayed on line and he came across and his rear hit my front. It was an unnecessary coming together."
Wolff, who later showed a video of the incident from her phone to assembled journalists, said she confronted Nasr about the incident after it happened.
"For me it was an unfortunate incident but not something I could have avoided. I went straight over to him and said 'what the hell went on'? He was a bit speechless and to be honest with you I was also a bit speechless because it was one of those things that happened and you said to yourself 'how the hell did that just happen?' It's stupid. I was shocked that it even happened to be honest. I was running, I don't know for how many laps, with no traffic around me whatsoever. Let's face it, it's not as though there are many cars on track, and for that to happen..."
The collision damaged the front suspension of the Williams and kept Wolff in the garage for most of the afternoon. She said it tainted her test day, especially as she was scheduled for some faster, low-fuel laps in the afternoon.
"It was really unfortunate and the thing you don't want at a test is to lose any time. Unfortunately we lost most of the afternoon to something completely unnecessary, but these things can happen sometimes. Unfortunately at the end we had another small problem that prevented us getting out again."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
