WestCoast Racing’s Gianni Morbidelli took pole position for the first TCR International Series race at Monza, ahead of Target Competition’s Stefano Comini and Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Pepe Oriola.
Morbidelli, who has topped every session so far this weekend, ended up 0.727 seconds ahead of Target Competition’s Comini, with thir-placed Oriola the only other driver within a second of the pace.
Sergey Afanasyev was fourth fastest, ahead of the second Target SEAT of Andrea Belicchi in fifth.
Fernando Monje put in an impressive time to go sixth fastest in the Campos Racing Opel Astra, marking the car’s best performance of the season so far.
Igor Skuz made it two WestCoast Hondas in Q2, but there was bad luck for the third car of Kevin Gleason, who crashed out into the tyre barriers in Q1 and will start both races from 15th on the grid.
Completing the top ten were Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Jordi Gené, B.D. Racing’s Antonio D’Amico and Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s Mikhail Grachev, who will start race two from pole position as a result.
Just missing out on the race two front row were the second Engstler Motorsport SEAT of Lorenzo Veglia and Target Competition’s Michel Nykjær, in 11th and 12th respectively.
More troubles for the Proteam Racing Ford Focus of Tom Boardman saw the Brit end the session in 14th position, after stopping with more technical problems in Q1.
Q1 times
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI |  |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 3 | 2:00.353 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 25 | Stefano COMINI |  |
Target Competition | SEAT León Racer | 4 | 2:01.080 | 0.727 |
| 3 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA |  |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León Racer | 5 | 2:01.121 | 0.768 |
| 4 | 77 | Sergey AFANASYEV |  |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León Racer | 4 | 2:01.382 | 1.029 |
| 5 | 33 | Andrea BELICCHI | |
Target Competition | SEAT León Racer | 5 | 2:01.762 | 1.409 |
| 6 | 19 | Fernando MONJE | |
Campos Racing | Opel Astra OPC | 5 | 2:01.785 | 1.432 |
| 7 | 20 | Igor SKUZ |  |
West Coast Racing | Honda Civic TCR | 4 | 2:01.800 | 1.447 |
| 8 | 88 | Jordi GENÉ | |
Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL | SEAT León Racer | 5 | 2:01.859 | 1.506 |
| 9 | 36 | Antonio D’AMICO | |
B.D. Racing Motorsport | SEAT León Racer | 4 | 2:01.959 | 1.606 |
| 10 | 8 | Mikhail GRACHEV | |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | SEAT León Racer | 4 | 2:02.190 | 1.837 |
| 11 | 7 | Lorenzo VEGLIA | |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | SEAT León Racer | 4 | 2:02.338 | 1.985 |
| 12 | 17 | Michel NYKJÆR |  |
Target Competition | SEAT León Racer | 4 | 2:02.443 | 2.090 |