After reporting an undisclosed issue to his team over radio, Engel was having to drive with a 90-degree steering angle to keep his Mercedes-AMG GT3 going in a straight line, as he valiantly tried to defend third place against the Schubert BMW of Rene Rast.
The 38-year-old eventually lost out to both Rast and Sheldon van der Linde on the final lap, but was lucky to even make it to the finish in fifth after his car completely broke down on its way back to the pits.
The problem was linked to the tie rod, which forms an important part of the connection between the steering and the wheels.
"It's just emblematic of our season,” Engel told Autosport’s sister title Motorsport-Total.com.
"Five laps before the end, I noticed that the steering had moved at the exit of the last corner. Something had come loose.
"But the steering kept changing more and more. You could tell there was play and movement in the suspension, it was getting more and more.
“I then kept away from the kerbs, except for Turn 1, otherwise the BMWs would have been over immediately.
“The [steering] rack broke, at least in part. I then drove down the straight with a 90-degree steering angle.
“In the end it was luck, because on the in-lap it broke completely. It was impossible to drive there, so I couldn't bring the car back.”
Source: Autosport