José María López scored his fourth win of the season in the opening World Touring Car Championship race at the Moscow Raceway, ahead of Honda’s Gabriele Tarquini and Citroën team-mate Sébastien Loeb.
López led the entire race, despite an early challenge from Tarquini into turn one on the opening lap. Thereafter the Honda driver never quite had the pace to get close enough to López to challenge for the lead, with the championship leader maintaining enough of a gap to prevent the Italian looking.
Loeb scored his fifth podium finish of the season in third, having threatened Tarquini in the second half of the race.
Fourth went to Yvan Muller, who lost further ground to Citroën team-mate López in the championship fight. The Frenchman made a crucial pass on ROAL Motorsport’s Tom Chilton on the final lap for the position, with the Brit holding on to finish fifth.
Chinese driver Ma Qing Hua enjoyed a quiet but solid début in the WTCC, scoring points in his first-ever race for Citroën in the series in sixth.
Honda’s Tiago Monteiro finished seventh, having earlier lost several positions when defending from Muller for fourth. The Portugese racer went wide through the gravel at the final turn, dropping three positions in the process.
Tom Coronel was eighth, having passed Norbert Michelisz for the position at the half-way stage of the race along the start straight. The Hungarian racer finished ninth, ahead of LADA’s Rob Huff who took home a solitary point for tenth at the Russian marque’s home race.
There were three retirements for the race which all came from Campos Racing at the final corner. Dušan Borković locked his brakes into the turn on the second lap of the race, clouting the left-rear of team-mate Hugo Valente’s Chevrolet and forcing both men out on the spot. Later on in the race rookie Nikita Misiulia, making his début, went off on his own into the barriers at the same corner.
Top ten result
| POS | NO | CL | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP | GD |
| 1 | 37 | TC1 | José María LÓPEZ |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 16 | 16 LAPS | 1:40.148 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | TC1 | Gabriele TARQUINI |  |
Castrol Honda WTC Team | Honda Civic WTCC | 16 | 3.17 | 1:40.687 | 2 |
| 3 | 9 | TC1 | Sébastien LOEB |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 16 | 3.425 | 1:40.619 | 4 |
| 4 | 1 | TC1 | Yvan MULLER | |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 16 | 5.902 | 1:40.942 | 6 |
| 5 | 3 | TC1 | Tom CHILTON |  |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 16 | 6.816 | 1:41.075 | 5 |
| 6 | 33 | TC1 | MA Qing Hua |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 16 | 7.505 | 1:40.975 | 9 |
| 7 | 18 | TC1 | Tiago MONTEIRO |  |
Castrol Honda WTC Team | Honda Civic WTCC | 16 | 13.099 | 1:40.854 | 3 |
| 8 | 4 | TC1 | Tom CORONEL |  |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 16 | 15.061 | 1:41.378 | 13 |
| 9 | 5 | TC1 | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
Zengő Motorsport | Honda Civic WTCC | 16 | 24.766 | 1:42.122 | 8 |
| 10 | 12 | TC1 | Rob HUFF | |
LADA Sport Lukoil | LADA Granta 1.6T | 16 | 27.754 | 1:41.956 | 14 |