Formula E – Prost, penalized, apologizes to Heidfeld after their collision
Nicolas Prost was leading the Beijing ePrix ahead of Nick Heidfeld just before the final corner when the latter attempted an overtaking maneuver that resulted in a collision between the two men. After initially blaming each other, the Frenchman ultimately admitted his responsibility.
Lucas di Grassi won the first ePrix in history on a track designed in the streets of Beijing, China, the race was mostly led by Nicolas Prost driving a car from the French team e.dams Renault.
But the Frenchman did not see the checkered flag following a collision with Nick Heidfeld (Venturi) just before the last corner of the final lap of the race. The German driver emerged unscathed despite a spectacular crash in which he rolled several times in the air before landing on the roll bar.
I thought it was going to be a very big accident. Once I hit the rumble strip, I felt like I was in the air for a very long time. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact and then I thought ‘oh I was lucky!’ I have pain in my calf but apart from that, I am perfectly fine, Heidfeld shared on the official Formula E website.
Venturi’s driver also stated, as quoted by GPUpdate, that he did not hold a grudge against Nicolas Prost, even though he considered the latter responsible for their accident: “Even when I was upside down, I was complaining [about Prost] on the radio. I was surprised that the impact wasn’t more violent. I was fighting for a victory, not a podium. I positioned myself perfectly for the last turn, and I think the TV footage clearly shows that I was alongside Nico, who came towards me. We talked after the incident, and he obviously had a different opinion than mine. Maybe he’ll change his mind when he watches the footage. I’m sure it’s possible to overtake at that spot. It’s disappointing, but I’m not angry with him. It’s racing.”
Nicolas Prost initially provided a different version, as cited by GPUpdate, arguing that Nick Heidfeld couldn’t have passed him at that part of the track: “I didn’t see him and it’s disappointing to lose a victory like this. I was in the middle of the track when I braked for the corner, to be safe. But he was next to me and had already touched my wheel. I didn’t think he would try something like that. There’s no way to overtake there. It’s a shame to lose the first Formula E victory.”
Then, a few hours later, through his Twitter account, the Frenchman acknowledged his mistake and apologized: « I feel very bad about the incident and after seeing the videos, I understand that I am responsible. It’s just that I didn’t see him, I feel very bad. The most important thing is that my friend Nick is okay, sorry again Nick, you know I would never do something like that… »
Moreover, Nick Heidfeld responded to Prost on the social network: « Thank you, Nico. I know you and I know you don’t run into anyone intentionally. These kinds of things happen. Next week, we’ll fight together in Austin [next round of the World Endurance Championship, editor’s note]. » Both men race together in Endurance for the Rebellion team.
The FIA has decided to impose a 10-place grid penalty for the next race in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on November 22.
