The German spun, but was able to continue the race, but Albers wasn't done there. Another collision on the eighth lap, amid the fight for second position, ended Tomczyk's otherwise promising race, while Albers was slapped with a drive-through penalty for his part in the incident, all but ending his title hopes. To cement Ekstrom's success, the Dutchman then had to abandon his damaged car on lap 15.
“I wanted to keep my championship hopes alive and was pushing hard," Albers reported, "The collision with Tomczyk was the result of a misunderstanding. I braked earlier than him, he pulled to the right and our cars touched.”
"I feel sorry for Christijan Albers," a sympathetic Norbert Haug added, "He had the speed to attack, but acted a bit unfortunately. I’m sure he didn’t do it on purpose - that’s not his style."
Albers' exit not only dashed his hopes of the championship, however, but also allowed the consistent Paffett to leapfrog him for second place in the overall standings. The Briton had only qualified seventh in the Superpole session, but made the most of his impressive race speed to climb the order and secure another podium finish. Paffett, who had been talked about as a potential Sauber
F1 pilot before Jacques Villeneuve's recent signing, held slim title hopes before the race, but would have required Ekstrom to non-score to increase his chances.
“Congratulations to Mattias - he deserved the win and the championship," the Mercedes man said, "For me, it’s still a super result here, having driven from seventh into third. But it’s a pity that the gap to the front was too big and that the championship is no longer an open affair. I’m now second in the overall standings and that’s also where I want to be at the end of the season.”
