Honda drivers sealed a remarkable one-two-three-four in WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup qualifying at the Hungaroring, as Esteban Guerrieri swept to a dominant double pole position.
The quartet and their Honda Civic Type R TCRs were imperious in wet conditions, sealing only the second top-four lockout for a customer racing brand in the WTCR – the first for Honda, and the first for one umbrella team, Münnich Motorsport – in the final part of qualifying.
They were led by Esteban, who was a cut above on qualifying day; having led both practice sessions, he then went fastest when it mattered in the first and last parts of qualifying.
Both of the 2019 WTCR runner-up’s pole-setting laps were more than half a second faster than the next-best time, which ensured Esteban scored the maximum 10 bonus points on offer and also gave the ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport crew its second and third qualifying pole positions of the campaign.
Esteban will share the front row of the grid for Sunday’s third and final race with home favourite Attila Tassi, who was the Argentinian’s closest challenger in Q3.
After a quiet start to the day in practice, Attila came on strong in qualifying – banking his best starting spot of the season and his first front row since his pole for last July’s Vila Real round.
Attila’s ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport team-mate Tiago Monteiro was on his tail in third, after finally getting the opportunity to show his and the Civic Type R TCR’s potential in the damp qualifying conditions.
The Portuguese was the second-fastest Honda in the Q1 session that determines the grid for race one, going fourth fastest, but will start Sunday’s opener from the rear of the field owing to an engine change – which instead means Attila will take up fourth on the grid.
Tiago’s time nevertheless secured him two bonus points to go with the three he claimed for third – his best qualifying result since the Suzuka weekend last October – in Q3.
Nestor Girolami completed an emphatic lockout in his ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Civic Type R TCR.
Less than a week on from a terrifying shunt that ended his Slovakiaring weekend early and required the team to prepare a new car, ‘Bebu’ finished seventh in the first part of qualifying – which will become sixth on the race-one grid – before securing fourth on the penultimate pole position shootout run in Q3.
All three races will take place on Sunday, with the opener kicking off at 9.15am local time.