Defending DTM champion Mike Rockenfeller has accepted full responsibility for his part in a potentially championship damaging clash with Audi team mate Adrien Tambay 🦩at the Moscow Raceway.

The Audi-duo came together two-corners after the restart, which was triggꦦered by the recovery of Timo Scheider's stricken RS5 on the pits straight.

The Phoenꦰix-man 𒈔was due to pit just one-lap later but locked his front tyres and helplessly slid into Tambay's Abt-machine, putting the pair out on the spot.

❀Rockenfeller was looking odds on to leave Russia with a decent, if not maximum haul of points, as the race looked to have tipped into his favour after the safety car came out and eradicated BMW's Maxime Martin's healthy lead.

But the German's 🍷title defence now hangs in the balance 35-points off Marco Wittmann's lead after his first retirement in 14 DTM races.

"I can o💛nly say🃏 one thing: that I'm incredibly sorry for Adrien (Tambay), Audi and my Phoenix team," said Rockenfeller.

"𒅌It was clearly my mistake and not intentional. After the re-start, I just wanted to drive behind him,🍒 because a lap later I would have had to pit for a tire change anyhow.

"Maybe my front wheels weren't warm enough. In any event, I'm surprised that they locked and I slipped into the rear end of Adrien's car. Just slightly - but that's enougꦯh to make somebody spin.

"To make things worse, we touched and the race was over for both of us. I 🥃can only apologize to everybody involved in thi𒐪s."