WTCR Clean Fuels for All Race of France Qualifying Q3 provisional classification
1 NĆ©stor Girolami (ARG)Ā ALL-INKL.COMĀ MĆ¼nnich Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R TCR, 1m19.783s (124.5kph)

2 Esteban Guerrieri (ARG)Ā ALL-INKL.COMĀ MĆ¼nnich Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R TCR, 1m19.937s
3 Yvan Mulller (FRA) Cyan Racing Lynk & Co, Lynk & Co 03 TCR, 1m20.361s
4 Nathanaƫl Berthon (FRA) Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport, Audi RS 3 LMS, 1m20.629s
5 Ma Qing Hua (CHN) Cyan Performance Lynk & Co, 1m20.901s
Reverse-grid pole for Race 2:Ā Norbert Michelisz (HUN) BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse

WTCR Clean Fuels for All Race of France Qualifying points allocation
10 points: NĆ©stor Girolami: 1m19.783s (124.5kph)

8 points: Esteban Guerrieri: 1m19.891s (124.4kph)
6 points: Nathanaƫl Berthon: 1m20.118s (124.0kph)
4 points: Mikel Azcona: 1m20.178s (123.9kph)
2 points Gilles Magnus: 1m20.192s (123.9kph)

Honda-powered NĆ©stor Girolami scorched to the Race 1 pole position at WTCR Clean Fuels for All Race of France today by pipping hisĀ ALL-INKL.COMĀ MĆ¼nnich Motorsport team-mate Esteban Guerrieri in an eventful qualifying session on the streets of Pau.

Argentine Girolami set the fastest time in the Q3 shootout after the Q2 session was interrupted by a heavy accident for Thed Bjƶrk in his Cyan Performance Lynk & Co 03 TCR, from which the Swede emerged uninjured.

Four-time FIA World Touring Car champion Yvan Muller was third fastest for Cyan Racing Lynk & Co with Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sportā€™s NathanaĆ«l Berthon fourth and Chinaā€™s Ma Qing Hua fifth on his return to the WTCR after two seasons away.

Under new rules for the 2022 WTCR āˆ’ FIA World Touring Car Cup the quickest five drivers in qualifying, regardless of whether they set their fastest lap in Qualifying Q1, Q2 or Q3, score points on a 10-8-6-4-2 scale. It means Girolami, Guerrieri, Berthon, BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corseā€™s Mikel Azcona and Comtoyou Team Audi Sportā€™s Belgian youngster Gilles Magnus have all registered their first scores of the season.

Azcona makes early claim for glory with Q1 best lap
In the 30-minute Q1 session, Azcona topped the times in his Hyundai Elantra N TCR ahead of Girolami, Magnus, Guerrieri and Ma Qing Hua (Lynk & Co). As the top 12 progressed to Q2, six drivers missed the cut.

They were headed by Rob Huffā€™s Zengő Motorsport Cupra Leon CompeticiĆ³n, the British driver ending up just 0.063s slower than Santiago Urrutia who just made it through in P12. The Uruguayan had been fastest in both free practice sessions, so might have expected to qualify more comfortably than he did.

King of WTCR Yann Ehrlacher was also relieved to make it through after scrapping his Lynk & Co against a barrier and incurring damage. ā€œIā€™m sorry for the guys, but we are on the edge and it can happen,ā€ he said. ā€œThere is no margin for error here.ā€

Beyond Huff, the others to miss the cut were Mehdi Bennani (Audi) in P14, Tiago Monteiro (Honda), Tom Coronel whose session was interrupted by a tyre off the rim on his Audi, DĆ”niel Nagy (Cupra) and Wild Card entry Ɖric Cayrolle (Audi).

Blow for Bjƶrk as Guerrieri tops Q2 order
The Q2 session was interrupted after three of its 15-minute duration when Bjƶrk clipped a wall at Turn 12/13, which sent the Lynk & Co heavily into the barrier on the other side of the track. The front-left punched a big hole in the barrier as Bjƶrkā€™s car bounced out and was left stranded in the middle of the track on the exit of a blind corner. Two other Lynk & Cos narrowly missed him, threading through a small gap between the car and the barrier as the red flags flew to stop the session. Bjƶrk walked away from the accident unaided.

Ma was the first on the scene and was relieved to narrowly avoid his own accident. ā€œIt was really a critical situation,ā€ he said. ā€œI saw the yellow flag, I slowed down a little bit, but Thedā€™s car was stopped just on the exit of a blind corner, and I couldnā€™t see at all. I was really lucky to go through [the gap] but I still have some damage on the car.ā€

Bjƶrk said: ā€œIt was a big impact. We are fighting going around this track with not a thought about hitting the wall because everyone is pushing so hard for the limit. For me, I wasnā€™t expecting it. As soon as you do just a small mistake here, the track bites me back so hard. But I feel OK. Iā€™m really upset because I wanted the points and to have a good race tomorrow. Iā€™m sorry for the boys at the team, but Iā€™m happy Iā€™m feeling OK. Now I must fight back. I love street circuits but this is what happens sometimes.ā€

Once the session began, Guerrieri stamped his mark on the session with the fastest time at 1m19.85s āˆ’ the first driver to dip below 1m20s. The other four drivers to make it through to the Q3 shootout were Berthon, who put in a great lap to jump up to second, ahead of Girolami, Muller and Ma.

A frustrated Ehrlacher just missed out in sixth, as did free practice pacesetter Urrutia in seventh. Azcona was disappointed to only qualify eighth, ahead of Attila Tassi and Norbert Michelisz whose P10 earns him the partially reversed grid pole position for Race 2. Michelisz damaged his Hyundai by nosing into the Turn 2 barrier, but his team taped up the bodywork to allow him to return to the track to start at the front for Sundayā€™s second race.

Guerrieri goes first, Girolami goes fastest
Guerrieri chose to run first in the top-five Q3 shootout. He set a quick benchmark of 1m19.937s, only slightly slower than his Q2 effort. HisĀ ALL-INKL.COMĀ MĆ¼nnich Motorsport team-mate Girolami was next to run, was up in the first sector, slightly slower in the second ā€“ and flew across the line 0.154s faster than Guerrieri.

Ma became the third of the five to take his shot, on his first weekend in the Lynk & Co. The Chinese driver was 0.964s off Girolamiā€™s lap and was no threat to the Honda duo.

Now Muller took his turn. The local hero proved faster than Ma but was 0.578s off Girolamiā€™s mark to go third ā€“ with just Berthon left to run. The Audi driver gave it his best, but ended up behind Muller, leaving the top four separated by just 0.846s.

That left the top five as Girolami on the Race 1 pole position from Guerrieri, Muller, Berthon and Ma. ā€œIā€™d like to congratulate everyone at the team, they did a fantastic job. Maybe we were too fast! Letā€™s see how we go at the next race with the 40kg!ā€ said a delighted Girolami. ā€œIā€™m so happy for Esteban too because he put in an amazing lap in Q2. We put everything together. The car was amazing during free practice and I knew in Q3 the track temperature was going colder and the lap time would slip, so I was going a bit more aggressive. The front end was fighting more, but that gave me two-tenths more and Iā€™m happy to get the first pole position of the season and now we must complete the job tomorrow. We have to be smart. On a street circuit there is not much you can do. But I feel so happy and so confident with the car.ā€

QUALIFYING QUOTES AND SOUND FILES
Driver quotes and sound files following Qualifying will be issued separately.

WHATā€™S NEXT?
Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2022 WTCR āˆ’ FIA World Touring Car Cup take place as follows:

Race 1:Ā 13h10 (30 minutes +1 lap)
Race 1 podium:Ā 13h50 approx.
Race 2:Ā 17h10 (25 minutes + 1 lap)
Race 2 podium:Ā 17h45 approx.

All timings CET, provisional and subject to change.

- Advertisement -