Grid for first Marrakech WTCC race confirmed

The grid for the first World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) race in Marrakech has been confirmed, with a number of drivers having received grid position penalties from the previous event in Argentina and the current event in Morocco.

Penalties from Argentina

Citroën’s Yvan Muller qualified in 10^th in Morocco but received a five-place grid penalty for contact with Mehdi Bennani in race two in Argentina, and will start from 11^th position as a result.

Campos Racing’s John Filippi qualified in 15^th in Morocco but received a five-place grid penalty for contact with James Thompson in race one in Argentina, and will start from 18^th position as a result.

Penalties from Morocco

ROAL Motorsport’s Tom Chilton qualified in fifth in Morocco but received a penalty sending him to the back of the grid for race one due to an engine change ahead of the event, with RML bringing an upgraded engine for the Chevrolets. He will start from 14^th position as a result.

Campos Racing’s Hugo Valente qualified in fourth in Morocco but, like Chilton, received a penalty sending him to the back of the grid for race one due to an engine change ahead of the event. He will start from 13^th position as a result.

Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Grégoire Demoustier qualified in 17^th in Morocco but had his engine replaced, dropping him to the back of the grid. He will start from 17^th.

Both LADAs of Rob Huff and James Thompson have also had engine changes in Morocco. Huff qualified in 11^th but will start from 15^th, whilst Thompson qualified in 16^th but due to others’ penalties retains the same starting spot for race one.

Zengő Motorsport’s Norbert Michelisz originally qualified in sixth but received a three-place grid penalty after his car was found to be underweight following qualifying. He starts from seventh, benefitting from the demotion of Valente and Chilton.

Confirmed final grid order – Round 3:

1. José María López
2. Mehdi Bennani
3. Ma Qing Hua
4. Tiago Monteiro
5. Sébastien Loeb
6. Tom Coronel
7. Norbert Michelisz
8. Gabriele Tarquini
9. Stefano D’Aste
10. Dušan Borković
11. Yvan Muller
12. Mikhail Kozlovskiy
13. Hugo Valente
14. Tom Chilton
15. Rob Huff
16. James Thompson
17. Grégoire Demoustier
18. John Filippi