Néstor Girolami says that a big points score in this weekend’s World Touring Car Championship races in Hungary is ‘vital’ as the Argentine seeks to close back up on the championship lead.
Girolami is now 46 points adrift of championship leader Tiago Monteiro after Monza, with the Polestar driver having retired from the Opening Race with suspension damage in Italy.
The 27-year-old knows that scoring well at the Hungaroring this weekend will be crucial, despite the fact that the Volvo S60 cars have increased in weight by 80 kg due to the WTCC’s compensation weight system.
“I am not thinking about the weight and my goal for this weekend is to score as many points as possible,” said Girolami. “It is vital to finish both of the races, [as] I had a retirement at Monza and lost some points.”
Despite the gap to the points leader, Girolami insists that it is too early to be concerned about the points deficit.
“It is too early to think about the difference in the points between me and the leader. The championship is long and we have a great car that’s fast enough to fight for the title. I will give my 100% in every race.”
Polestar’s Head of Motorsport Alexander Murdzevski-Schedvin adds that the marque is targeting a ‘consistent’ points haul in the team’s first race with the full amount of weight applied.
“There is nothing but hard work for everyone in the team. We are heading to one of the most intense races in terms of Hungarian fans that root for our competitors.
“We need to keep our cool and deliver. It’s all about scoring points consistently as we have done so far this season.”