As is sometimes the case with rolling starts, there was a short time difference between when each driver hit the accelerator as the lights went green at the Dutch venue. This caused chaos in the midpack, with Winward’s Auer coming off worse as his Mercedes sustained damage to its radiator and a loose bonnet.
Video material presented by the stewards revealed that Auer, who had qualified 15th, hit the back of Luca Engstler’s Audi while the race hadn’t even effectively started for the Austrian.
This led to a concertina effect, with Auer subsequently being rammed from behind by the BMW of Sheldon van der Linde, who had started just behind him in 17th place.
Auer brought the car back to the Winward garage at the end of the opening lap, bringing an early end to his weekend.
Speaking afterwards, the Austrian said: "We had contact at the start, so unfortunately the race ended prematurely for me. Nevertheless, we can take a lot from this weekend and are now concentrating on the Norisring.
“Sunday's qualifying was difficult. That's why we started in the middle of the field. We have to work hard now to be further up the grid, then I'm confident for the next races."
Source: Autosport