Audi’s Jean-Karl Vernay took pole position in qualifying for the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) on Monday, giving the Leopard Lukoil driver the top starting position for race three.
Vernay’s RS3 LMS underwent an engine change overnight to solve an issue that had hampered his performances on Sunday, which gives the Frenchman an automatic penalty of starting from the back of the grid for race two.
But with qualifying deciding the order for race three, Vernay set pole as his target and he did so with the second-best lap of the weekend, ending up almost half a second clear of Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Rob Huff.
Gordon Shedden made it through to Q3 for the first time and Vernay’s team-mate put in a ‘scrappy lap’ to go third, over half a second adrift.
Comtoyou Racing’s Frédéric Vervisch was fourth, but the Belgian failed to set a time after his Audi ground to a halt on his flying lap.
The Honda of Esteban Guerrieri made it into Q3 but did not take to the track, leaving the Münnich Motorsport driver with fifth position for the final race.
Guerrieri’s team-mate Yann Ehrlacher improved his time in the closing stages of Q2 to briefly go fourth, but subsequent improvements from others dropped him to sixth, with Sunday’s race one winner missing the Q3 cut by just 0.018 seconds.
Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Mehdi Bennani was seventh, equalling his best qualifying effort of the year.
Campos Racing’s Pepe Oriola was the leading CUPRA driver in eighth, whilst the Peugeot of DG Sport’s Aurélien Comte and Münnich Motorsport’s James Thompson completed the top ten. For Thompson the reverse grid pole position he gains is his first time starting from the head of the field since Morocco in 2016.
The second Campos car of John Filippi ensured that both CUPRA drivers made it into Q2 in 11th, ahead of Comtoyou Racing’s Aurélien Panis in 12th.
The Mulsanne Racing Alfa Romeo drivers enjoyed one of their best sessions of the year so far, with Fabrizio Giovanardi in 16th and Gianni Morbidelli just one place behind.
Once again all four Hyundai drivers struggled for pace, with YMR’s Yvan Muller being the best placed in 18th, ahead of team-mate Thed Björk in 19th.
BRC Racing’s Norbert Michelisz and Gabriele Tarquini once again trailed their rival Hyundai team, ending up in 20th and 22nd respectively.
Race two takes place at 12:15 CEST (11:15 BST).
Q3 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 69 | Jean-Karl VERNAY |  |
Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team | Audi RS3 LMS | 3 | 1:43.994 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 12 | Rob HUFF |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 3 | 1:44.453 | 0.459 |
| 3 | 52 | Gordon SHEDDEN | |
Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team | Audi RS3 LMS | 3 | 1:44.590 | 0.596 |
| 4 | 22 | Frédéric VERVISCH |  |
Audi Sport Team Comtoyou | Audi RS3 LMS | 1 | No time | N/A |
| 5 | 86 | Esteban GUERRIERI |  |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 0 | No time | N/A |
Q2 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 22 | Frédéric VERVISCH | |
Audi Sport Team Comtoyou | Audi RS3 LMS | 3 | 1:44.205 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 12 | Rob HUFF | |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 5 | 1:44.341 | 0.136 |
| 3 | 69 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team | Audi RS3 LMS | 5 | 1:44.393 | 0.188 |
| 4 | 52 | Gordon SHEDDEN | |
Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team | Audi RS3 LMS | 5 | 1:44.421 | 0.216 |
| 5 | 86 | Esteban GUERRIERI | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 3 | 1:44.465 | 0.260 |
| 6 | 68 | Yann EHRLACHER | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 5 | 1:44.483 | 0.278 |
| 7 | 25 | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 5 | 1:44.592 | 0.387 |
| 8 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA |  |
Team Oscaro by Campos Racing | CUPRA TCR | 5 | 1:44.642 | 0.437 |
| 9 | 7 | Aurélien COMTE | |
DG Sport Compétition | Peugeot 308 TCR | 4 | 1:44.922 | 0.717 |
| 10 | 15 | James THOMPSON | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 5 | 1:44.972 | 0.767 |
| 11 | 27 | John FILIPPI | |
Team Oscaro by Campos Racing | CUPRA TCR | 4 | 1:45.040 | 0.835 |
| 12 | 21 | Aurélien PANIS | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS | 6 | 1:45.141 | 0.936 |
Q1 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 69 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team | Audi RS3 LMS | 7 | 1:44.491 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 12 | Rob HUFF | |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 8 | 1:44.509 | 0.018 |
| 3 | 22 | Frédéric VERVISCH | |
Audi Sport Team Comtoyou | Audi RS3 LMS | 8 | 1:44.537 | 0.046 |
| 4 | 68 | Yann EHRLACHER | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 6 | 1:44.595 | 0.104 |
| 5 | 86 | Esteban GUERRIERI | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 9 | 1:44.664 | 0.173 |
| 6 | 52 | Gordon SHEDDEN | |
Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team | Audi RS3 LMS | 8 | 1:44.763 | 0.272 |
| 7 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA | |
Team Oscaro by Campos Racing | CUPRA TCR | 9 | 1:44.769 | 0.278 |
| 8 | 25 | Mehdi BENNANI | |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 7 | 1:44.804 | 0.313 |
| 9 | 27 | John FILIPPI | |
Team Oscaro by Campos Racing | CUPRA TCR | 9 | 1:44.897 | 0.406 |
| 10 | 21 | Aurélien PANIS | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS | 9 | 1:45.002 | 0.511 |
| 11 | 15 | James THOMPSON | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 8 | 1:45.022 | 0.531 |
| 12 | 7 | Aurélien COMTE | |
DG Sport Compétition | Peugeot 308 TCR | 8 | 1:45.078 | 0.587 |
| 13 | 20 | Denis DUPONT | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS | 9 | 1:45.206 | 0.715 |
| 14 | 63 | Benjamin LESSENNES | |
Boutsen Ginion Racing | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 10 | 1:45.257 | 0.766 |
| 15 | 23 | Nathanaël BERTHON | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS | 9 | 1:45.303 | 0.812 |
| 16 | 88 | Fabrizio GIOVANARDI |  |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 9 | 1:45.348 | 0.857 |
| 17 | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI | |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 9 | 1:45.511 | 1.020 |
| 18 | 48 | Yvan MULLER | |
YMR | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 7 | 1:45.522 | 1.031 |
| 19 | 11 | Thed BJÖRK |  |
YMR | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 8 | 1:45.640 | 1.149 |
| 20 | 5 | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
BRC Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 7 | 1:45.758 | 1.267 |
| 21 | 70 | Mat’o HOMOLA |  |
DG Sport Compétition | Peugeot 308 TCR | 8 | 1:45.774 | 1.283 |
| 22 | 30 | Gabriele TARQUINI | |
BRC Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 8 | 1:45.932 | 1.441 |
| 23 | 8 | Norbert NAGY | |
Zengő Motorsport | CUPRA TCR | 10 | 1:45.970 | 1.479 |
| 24 | 9 | Tom CORONEL |  |
Boutsen Ginion Racing | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 9 | 1:46.001 | 1.510 |
| 25 | 2 | Bernhard VAN ORANJE NASSAU | |
Bas Koeten Racing | Audi RS3 LMS | 9 | 1:46.179 | 1.688 |
| 26 | 66 | Zsolt Dávid SZABÓ | |
Zengő Motorsport | CUPRA TCR | 9 | 1:46.232 | 1.741 |
| 27 | 3 | Michael VERHAGEN | |
Bas Koeten Racing | Audi RS3 LMS | 9 | 1:46.268 | 1.777 |