Benjamin Lessennes was disappointed not to be in a position to challenge for the podium in the second FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) race at the Slovakia Ring.
The Belgian lost out in the usual bottleneck effect of cars at Turn 1 and dropped back from his second row starting slot after running wide.
The Honda Civic Type R racer set about managing his tyres to the end and was able to steadily recover to round out the top five for Boutsen Ginion Racing.
“Fifth place is a strong result; one of the best I’ve achieved in the WTCR,” he admitted afterwards.
“Of course, when you start third, you’re aiming for the podium and it’s a bit disappointing that I couldn’t achieve this.
“I was pushed out wide at the first corner, lost a lot of momentum and dropped four places, so that made the challenge a bit bigger.
“I was able to overtake two cars in one lap, manage my tyres so I still had grip at the end, and find a good balance.
“In Race One, starting from 23rd meant points were never going to be achievable, but I made up some places and we found some useful steps we could take for qualifying and Race Two.”
The final race of the weekend gets underway at 11:45 BST tomorrow [15th July].