Esteban Guerrieri was fastest in a tight qualifying session at WTCR Paddle of Portugal to stream a Honda-powered 1-2-3 at a baking hot Circuito attain Estoril, denying home hero Tiago Monteiro the tip disclose within the process.
The Argentine beat ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport personnel-mates Monteiro and Néstor Girolami to declare pole dwelling for Paddle 2 in his Honda Civic Form R TCR.
“I’m in spite of all the things delighted for your entire personnel,” talked about Guerrieri. “The Honda vehicles are in spite of all the things solid right here and we managed a first rate qualifying. Within the fresh conditions it was tough, you would possibly per chance per chance well per chance additionally overcook the tyres simply. We were very shut and Jean-Karl [Vernay] was steady there too. Now we include to attain the job day after at the moment.”
Guerrieri began as he meant to head on by topping the first facets haul of the weekend with the fastest time within the 20-minute Q1 session. His time of 1m44.440s was 0.176s faster than Attila Tassi’s Honda, with Girolami and home hero Monteiro subsequent up of their Civics. Hyundai pair Norbert Michelisz and Goodyear #FollowTheLeader Vernay were fifth and sixth fastest.
Among these to miss the lower for the tip 12 Q2 session was Mikel Azcona, who was P13 in his Zengő Motorsport CUPRA Leon Competición. “It’s in spite of all the things frustrating,” he talked about. “It’s a execrable dwelling for the races day after at the moment, however we are capable of attain nothing more. A gap of 1.2s to the fastest automobile is simply too great. We’ve nothing more to present.”
Others to miss out were the Comtoyou-urge Audis of Nathanaël Berthon, Gilles Magnus and Frédéric Vervisch in P14 to P16, whereas In finding Huff was P17 in his Zengő Motorsport CUPRA.
In a apt-tight 10-minute Q2 session, Monteiro was fastest to qualify for the Q3 prime-5 shootout, with personnel-mates Girolami, Tassi and Guerrieri making it a Honda 1-2-3-4 at this stage. Vernay was the fifth and ideal driver to manufacture it thru to the shootout for the Paddle 2 pole dwelling.
Gabriele Tarquini left it late to bank his fastest lap – and it was apt ample to push the 2018 King of the WTCR into P10, to hand him the reverse-grid pole dwelling for Paddle 1. His lap pushed fellow Hyundai driver Luca Engstler the total way down to P11 sooner than Thed Björk’s Lynk & Co.
Michelisz appropriate passed over out on the Q3 shootout by managing the sixth fastest time of the session, sooner than a trio of Lynk & Cos – Santiago Urrutia, Yvan Muller and 2020 King of WTCR Yann Erhlacher, that way the Frenchman will join Tarquini on the front row of the grid for Paddle 1.
“To be simply I tried my apt and the car was a ways away,” talked about Tarquini on his checklist to manufacture Q3. “We made a commerce on the assign-up for the ideal urge since it had potentially no longer been my apt preference and we discovered barely within the stop. It was a first rate lap. It’s a shame for Luca because we wanted four Hyundais within the tip 10, however right here’s racing. Assuredly you would possibly per chance per chance well per chance additionally be smiling, most continuously you would possibly per chance per chance well per chance additionally be no longer smiling.”
In Q3, Vernay was the first of the tip 5 to urge and assign a benchmark of 1m44.833s, the personnel telling him on the radio that it had been “an incredible lap” except the ideal sector. Guerrieri was the next to urge, the Argentine driver firing in a time that was a mettlesome 0.311s faster than Vernay’s effort.
Tassi was the third driver to head, however the Hungarian didn’t include ample to envision Guerrieri and ended up appropriate 0.061s slower than Vernay too.
Now Girolami had his shot at a 2d consecutive WTCR pole dwelling and gave it all the things to grab the tip disclose from his countryman Guerrieri. Nonetheless he appropriate passed over out, going 2d by appropriate 0.249s.
That left Monteiro as the ideal to urge, in a checklist to declare a typical home-hero pole. Nonetheless he appropriate got right here up short, by 0.117s – that way the ideal remark was Guerrieri, Monteiro, Girolami, Vernay and Tassi.
Monteiro was no longer too disappointed to fail to imprint pole dwelling. “It be essential to try to we went for it,” he talked about. “It was a first rate lap, appropriate no longer apt ample, however it completely’s apt for the title. At my home urge I continually take hang of to be up on the front and I’m delighted to be on the front row for Paddle 2. Even though there are no fans right here I will in spite of all the things feel the toughen on social media.”
Vernay was also delighted along with his effort. “My qualifying was in spite of all the things apt, it was a first rate lap,” he talked about. “I was 100 per cent on the limit and took some dangers, and the tyre administration is irritating for the ideal sector if you attain that. I overdrove barely. Nonetheless we’re within the sport.”
Girolami was also removed from wretched to be third. “We had problems to solve between FP1 and FP2 so I’m joyful with this result,” he talked about. “The substantial image is your entire personnel is doing a first rate job.”
“My Q3 lap was apt,” talked about Tassi, “moreover I had understeer within the ideal corner. Nonetheless right here’s racing. I’m delighted for the personnel and right here’s a first rate circuit for us.”
Paddle 1 at WTCR Paddle of Portugal is thanks to starting up at 12h15 native time day after at the moment (Sunday).
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