CUPRA EKS driver Mattias Ekström was crowned King of the Weekend in a thrilling third round of the 2022 FIA ETCR eTouring Car World Cup for Race SP at Circuito Madrid Jarama-RACE at an event of extreme heat, bracing winds and electrifying action.
Ekström stood on the top step as King, flanked by team-mates Adrien Tambay and Jordi Gené in a dream weekend for the Spanish manufacturer, with the narrative playing out in front of CUPRA CEO President and CEO, Wayne Griffiths and guests at their home event.
Whilst Ekström won the Pool FURIOUS DHL Super Final, the Pool FAST one went to hitherto points leader and Budapest King of the Weekend, Tambay. For Gené, it was a return to form at a track he knows so well, with the Spaniard setting the weekend’s fastest race lap and winning his Quarter Final.
Elsewhere it was another strong weekend for Romeo Ferraris’ Maxime Martin with a Quarter Final win adding to make him the best-scoring non-CUPRA driver. Hyundai Motorsport N’s Mikel Azcona finished the weekend the fifth highest scorer, with team-mate Norbert Michelisz taking sixth spot with a Quarter Final win to his name. Hyundai Motorsport could also celebrate a Semi Final win for Nicky Catsburg on his FIA ETCR debut, marking him as one to watch for the rest of the season.
For Romeo Ferraris Bruno Spengler took a Semi Final win, whilst Tambay took his Semi win and Ekström his Quarter and Semi Final top steps.
FIA ETCR Race SP ran as the headline act in the all-electric Jarama Next Generation Festival which showcased the all-electric single-seater ERA series, e-cars, e-scooters, e-bikes and a multitude of other activities designed to show family audiences the future of mobility, motor racing and sports motorcycling.
FIA ETCR eTouring Car World Cup action resumes with Race BE at Belgium’s Zolder circuit on July 9-10.
For the latest news and race reports from the weekend, visit the series website www.fia-etcr.com
Weekend Results
https://www.fia-etcr.com/
Full Series Results
https://www.its-results.com/
Post Race Press Conference
https://youtu.be/ttAo3Zp4JN4
Driver Points after Round 03
1. Mattias Ekström 280
2. Adrien Tambay 274
3. Mikel Azcona 203
4. Maxime Martin 200
5. Bruno Spengler 182
6. Tom Blomqvist 180
7. Jordi Gené 140
8. Norbert Michelisz 137
9. Giovanni Venturini 115
10. Jean-Karl Vernay 111
Quotes of the Day
CUPRA EKS
Mattias Ekström #1
We had a great weekend as a team to finish 1,2,3, with Jordi’s first podium, my second King of the Weekend of the year so I cannot say enough how happy we are, also for the fans and the friends and the CUPRA personnel who visited us. It’s been very hot, been very exciting and been very exhausting, but it’s a nice feeling now when you finally add some champagne!
Jordi Gené #28
It was a super successful weekend. We had a super good qualifying, our car had very good pace, even with the really tough conditions because of the heat – but it’s a Spanish car so it adopted well to the high temperatures – and in fact everything worked really well here. The proof of that is that there are three CUPRA drivers here on the podium at the end of the day. Personally, I needed a good result here as I haven’t started my season the way I expected so I cannot ask for more. I’m really happy.
Adrien Tambay #27
Superb. Honestly, a great race. It was very important for me to be back on P1 today after yesterday where I didn’t maximize my own performance. So P1 in the Semi Final and P1 in the DHL Super Final is mega. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from this weekend, and when you make the slightest mistake you’re not happy with yourself, but I have to say I’m happy for Jordi, Mattias and the whole team; to be 1,2,3 in Jarama is a great achievement so Vamos CUPRA at home! It’s a big win again and so very happy and very proud of the family.
Tom Blomqvist #10
Not the weekend I wanted although I kept pushing all the way. It was a great weekend for the team in CUPRA’s home race so I can only be happy from that perspective, but I definitely wanted better results from my side. I was pushing hard in the DHL Super Final but just could not get past Venturini. It’s time to reset, have a look at everything and head to Zolder for a better weekend.
ROMEO FERRARIS
Luca Filippi #25
We tried a strategy in the DHL Super Final by using no Power Up in the opening lap and trying to use it afterwards, but really it wasn’t the right strategy for this race. Overtaking was really difficult. So, unfortunately, I ended up where I started, which is P6, which was not what we wanted. Definitely, we have to work hard and understand what didn’t go totally right this weekend for all of us. But, definitely, we will come back stronger for Zolder.
Maxime Martin #36
Good race. Good start. Good fights. Good fun. It’s good to finish on a high, for sure. Like always, I think Matthias was a bit too strong, but I could follow with good pace but it was difficult to pass here, but nevertheless good racing. Happy for the team to finish on the high and at the end, we can look forward for Zolder.
Giovanni Venturini #21
I’m quite happy about my DHL Super Final because finally I can do battle with the other guys. I’m happy for the team for the result of Maxime. So now I’m looking forward to Zolder and we will see what happens there.
Bruno Spengler #7
All and all a bit of a frustrating final; I would have loved to bring more points to the team. Unfortunately, I got squeezed at the exit of turn one by Vernay, which cost me one position. I was quicker than him and but unfortunately I finished P5. I would have loved to bring more points to the team. In the end was a bit of a frustrating weekend. The team’s still working very hard and very well to give us the best car possible. Day by day we managed to improve the car. Now we just we have a bit more time until the next race which gives us a bit more time to analyze and prepare. Let’s see where we can improve to come closer to our opponents. I’m sure, as always, that the team finds solution and does a great job. We’ll regroup and refocus for the upcoming races.
HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT N
Mikel Azcona #96
It’s been tough but we’ve enjoyed some close battles with our rivals here in Race SP. I expected the results to be a little bit better at my home track and in the end, it was a very similar weekend to my team-mates. We made some positive steps with the car which is very interesting for the next races. We just need to keep working like this and we will finish in a very good position. Step-by-step we are going in the right direction and we have a great car in the Hyundai Veloster N ETCR. We have scored important points for the title fight this weekend and we are still third in the standings, so there are a lot of positives to take away.
Norbert Michelisz #5
I really wanted to go for the win. My start was very similar to Tambay so before the first corner, I decided to slot in behind him just to have P2 safe. After that it was a bit unfortunate, I was hit on the rear, then I was sliding wide and lost the position. I think probably second place was possible, but this weekend has still been a good progress for me. I felt we did a solid performance, however I am still missing a bit of pace. We know where we need to improve and I’m sure we will get there. I’m a bit sad in this moment not to have finished in second in the Super Final, but that’s life and we will come back stronger in the following events.
Jean-Karl Vernay #69
I made a good start and tried to be clever. I was able to overtake Spengler and we had a good rhythm, I was trying to defend and ensure Norbi and I had a gap in the first two laps. I was controlling my competitors behind and bringing the car home safe.
Nicky Catsburg #88
My first weekend in FIA ETCR has been a steep learning curve. I really enjoyed my first event, this is unlike anything I’ve ever raced before. The beginning was hard and in the first Quarter Final, I didn’t really get to grips with the Power Up usage and I had to see how the other cars were doing it. I learned quickly and the Semi Final was better, and I was on top of it in the Super Final. I need to improve my 500kW laps in Qualifying a bit, but I’m looking forward to the next event in Belgium. It was fantastic to win my Semi Final race – I felt my collaboration and communication with the team really improved, and everything went right in that session.
