Stefan emerges unharmed from high-speed crash at Spa Francorchamps

The fourth race weekend of the Formula Renault 2.0 championship at Spa-Francorchamps ends in bitter disappointment after a great start, with Stefan Riener going out in the second race as a result of a blameless collision. After finishing fifth in Race 1, the Austrian is now fourth in the standings.

Stefan, the most important question: How do you feel after the accident in the second race?

No worries. I’m fine. Luckily, the cars are built to high safety standards, so nothing happened to me in this high-speed crash. My main regret is for the team, because they now have the job of rebuilding my wrecked car. The accident was quite serious and has caused significant damage. That really was a sad end to an otherwise decent race weekend at Spa.

So what exactly happened?

On the seventh lap, I was battling with another driver for sixth position. The scrap started on the way up towards Eau Rouge. On the following straight, I managed to gain the upper hand and virtually had sixth place wrapped up. Then the other car touched my rear wheel at the end of the Kemmel straight. I lost control and skidded into the barrier. Because I was going at high speed, I bounced back onto the track and got hit by another car. The accident was judged serious enough for the race to be temporarily halted with red flags.

And the blame lay with your opponent?

Yes, most certainly. It was just a stupid and unnecessary move by my opponent. The race stewards were in no doubt, and the other driver has been given a penalty for the next race in Monza. We’ve analysed the incident on the video, and it was plain to see that my steering wheel was completely straight throughout. It was therefore abundantly clear that the other driver crashed into me. The retirement was really frustrating, because it cost me a lot of vital championship points.

What positive aspects can you take from the race weekend in Belgium?

I can be very satisfied with my performance in the first race and my P5 finish. That was my second successive race weekend at Spa, and I feel that I’ve made significant personal progress. So it’s all the more upsetting to have missed out on the points in the second race. I will certainly benefit from the experience I’ve gained when I make my third appearance of the year at Spa in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup towards the end of July.

What’s next?

I’m now going to treat myself to a short break after competing on four consecutive race weekends. The busy schedule wasn’t a problem, I feel fit and I’m looking forward to the next few races. On the first weekend in July, we’re off to Monza – my favourite track. Last year, I drove from pole position to victory but was then hit with a penalty for jumping the start, which dropped me down to third. So you could say that I have some unfinished business at Monza.