Esteban Guerrieri led a quartet of Honda cars in the Q3 part of the WTCR Qualifying at the Hungaroring, locking the two top rows of the grid for Race 3, together with his Münnich Motorsport teammates Attila Tassi, Tiago Monteiro and Néstor Girolami.
Guerrieri had already topped Q1, securing pole position for Race 1 and scored the maximum ten points awarded for the Qualifying, eating up seven points from Yann Ehrlacher’s leading margin in the standings.
The Argentine is now 28 point behind the Lynk & Co driver who will start third in Race 1 and second from the top-ten reversed grid for Race 2 alongside his teammate and uncle Yvan Muller.
Guerrieri (2:05.838) was fastest in the Q1 part of the session ahead of Azcona and Ehrlacher (both 2:06.184). Monteiro set the fourth fastest lap (2:06.388) but will start from the back of the grid due to an engine change, and Tassi was fifth (2:06.447).
Muller, Girolami, Santiago Urrutia, Jean-Karl Vernay, Nathanaël Berthon, Gilles Magnus and Bence Boldizs rounded off the line-up for Q2, while some top drivers didn’t make the cut: Luca Engstler, the fastest of the Hyundai drivers, was the first to stay out in 13th position, then Gabriele Tarquini, Thed Björk, Norbert Michelisz who had misfire problems and Tom Coronel, the second in the standings, who had a clutch issue.
In Q2, Guerrieri again set the pace with a lap of 2:05.870, but Azcona went faster in 2:05.520. Tassi, Girolami and Monteiro ranked third, fourth and fifth, securing a place in Q3 to all the four Honda cars. Muller and Ehrlacher qualified tenth and ninth and locked the front row of the reversed grid for Race 2.
Azcona was the first set to hit the track for Q3, but somehow missed the green light window and could not make his flying lap. Tassi was next and completed a smooth lap of 2:06.267, while both Monteiro and Girolami made mistakes and couldn’t improve that time.
The last one to leave the pits was Guerrieri who settled the matter with a lap of 2:05.705 securing his second pole position ahead of young local hero Tassi.
Race 1 will start on Sunday at 09:15 local time (CEST).
Qualifying
2:05.705 – Esteban Guerrieri (Münnich Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R)
2:06.267 – Attila Tassi (Münnich Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R)
2:06.902 – Tiago Monteiro (Münnich Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R)
2:06.986 – Néstor Girolami (Münnich Motorsport, Honda Civic Type R)
No time – Mikel Azcona (Zengő Motorsport, CUPRA Leon Competición)
Championship points
- Yann Ehrlacher 116 pts;
- Tom Coronel 92;
- Esteban Guerrieri 88