Nelson Piquet led the race, but collided with Eliseo Salazar while lapping him at the new Ostkurve chicane.
Piquet ripped his seatbelt off before his car had stopped moving. After the two cars came to a stop,
an irate Piquet quickly climbed out of his Brabham, approached Salazar,
and then punched and kicked Salazar in a rage, which continued for some time after the collision.