Comtoyou Racing’s Nathanael Berthon claimed a maiden pole position in the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) with the final flying effort of an ultra-competitive session at Circuit Zolder.
The Frenchman’s Audi RS 3 LMS went last in Super Pole and duly delivered, clocking a blistering 1:35.486 to deny Yann Ehrlacher’s Cyan Racing-run Lynk & Co. top spot by just 0.031 seconds.
Ehrlacher had in turn denied Gilles Magnus after the Belgian set the early pace on home turf in the final shootout, but ultimately slipped back to third.
With points awarded during qualifying, Ehrlacher now also leads the standings early doors ahead of Magnus.
Audi and Lynk & Co. locked out the top five, with Santiago Urrutia leading team mate Yvan Muller in fourth and fifth respectively.
Muller looked on the pace, but a mistake at the first corner on his final run lost the veteran crucial time, and he ended the session a half-second adrift of Berthon’s benchmark.
Tom Coronel was unlucky to be denied a spot in Super Pole, coming up just short in sixth, with Attila Tassi seventh fastest yet again in the leading Münnich Motorsport Honda Civic Type R.
Jean-Karl Vernay made it four different marques inside the top-ten with ninth in the Team Mulsanne Alfa Romeo Giulietta, just behind Thed Bjork in the final of the four Lynk & Co. cars.
Practice pacesetter Nestor Girolami managed tenth-quickest, and will therefore start the partially-reversed opening round of the season from the front.
Row six has a familiar feel to it, with last year’s chief title protagonists – Esteban Guerrieri and reigning WTCR champion Norbert Michelisz – in 11th and 12th respectively.
Hyundai seemed to struggle around the challenging 2.49 Belgian circuit; only Michelisz made it as far as the second session, with BRC Racing team mate Gabriele Tarquini just 15th.
Jack Young will start his international touring car racing debut from 16th in the Vukovic Motorsport-prepared Renault Megane R.S., with Tiago Monteiro another notable result down in 18th.
Sunday hosts a double-header of WTCR action, with the opening race tomorrow set to begin at 09:30 (BST).
Q3 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 17 | Nathanaël BERTHON |  |
Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 3 | 1:35.486 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 68 | Yann EHRLACHER | |
Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 3 | 1:35.517 | 0.031 |
| 3 | 16 | Gilles MAGNUS |  |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 3 | 1:35.527 | 0.041 |
| 4 | 12 | Santiago URRUTIA |  |
Cyan Performance | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 3 | 1:35.880 | 0.394 |
| 5 | 100 | Yvan MULLER | |
Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 3 | 1:36.069 | 0.583 |
Q2 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 16 | Gilles MAGNUS | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 6 | 1:35.480 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 12 | Santiago URRUTIA | |
Cyan Performance | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 5 | 1:35.644 | 0.164 |
| 3 | 68 | Yann EHRLACHER | |
Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 5 | 1:35.783 | 0.303 |
| 4 | 100 | Yvan MULLER | |
Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 5 | 1:35.798 | 0.318 |
| 5 | 17 | Nathanaël BERTHON | |
Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 5 | 1:35.895 | 0.415 |
| 6 | 31 | Tom CORONEL |  |
Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 5 | 1:35.907 | 0.427 |
| 7 | 9 | Attila TASSI |  |
ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK8 TCR | 5 | 1:35.941 | 0.461 |
| 8 | 11 | Thed BJÖRK |  |
Cyan Performance | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 5 | 1:35.993 | 0.513 |
| 9 | 69 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR | 5 | 1:36.065 | 0.585 |
| 10 | 29 | Néstor GIROLAMI |  |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK8 TCR | 5 | 1:36.119 | 0.639 |
| 11 | 86 | Esteban GUERRIERI | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK8 TCR | 5 | 1:36.301 | 0.821 |
| 12 | 1 | Norbert MICHELISZ | |
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Squadra Corse | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 6 | 1:36.606 | 1.126 |
Q1 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 68 | Yann EHRLACHER | |
Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 9 | 1:35.827 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 11 | Thed BJÖRK | |
Cyan Performance | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 9 | 1:35.952 | 0.125 |
| 3 | 16 | Gilles MAGNUS | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 8 | 1:36.050 | 0.223 |
| 4 | 100 | Yvan MULLER | |
Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 9 | 1:36.076 | 0.249 |
| 5 | 31 | Tom CORONEL | |
Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 9 | 1:36.176 | 0.349 |
| 6 | 9 | Attila TASSI | |
ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK8 TCR | 9 | 1:36.218 | 0.391 |
| 7 | 17 | Nathanaël BERTHON | |
Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 9 | 1:36.224 | 0.397 |
| 8 | 12 | Santiago URRUTIA | |
Cyan Performance | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 9 | 1:36.338 | 0.511 |
| 9 | 86 | Esteban GUERRIERI | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK8 TCR | 9 | 1:36.455 | 0.628 |
| 10 | 69 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR | 9 | 1:36.506 | 0.679 |
| 11 | 1 | Norbert MICHELISZ | |
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Squadra Corse | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 10 | 1:36.648 | 0.821 |
| 12 | 29 | Néstor GIROLAMI | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK8 TCR | 8 | 1:36.754 | 0.927 |
| 13 | 33 | Dylan O’KEEFFE |  |
Vuković Motorsport | Renault Mégane RS TCR | 8 | 1:36.877 | 1.050 |
| 14 | 88 | Nicky CATSBURG | |
Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 8 | 1:37.025 | 1.198 |
| 15 | 30 | Gabriele TARQUINI |  |
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Squadra Corse | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 10 | 1:37.054 | 1.227 |
| 16 | 7 | Jack YOUNG |  |
Vuković Motorsport | Renault Mégane RS TCR | 8 | 1:37.062 | 1.235 |
| 17 | 8 | Luca ENGSTLER |  |
Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 9 | 1:37.172 | 1.345 |
| 18 | 18 | Tiago MONTEIRO |  |
ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK8 TCR | 9 | 1:37.192 | 1.365 |
| 19 | 25 | Luca FILIPPI | |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR | 9 | 1:37.235 | 1.408 |
| 20 | 55 | Bence BOLDIZS | |
Zengő Motorsport | CUPRA Leon Competición | 9 | 1:37.353 | 1.526 |
| 21 | 96 | Mikel AZCONA |  |
Zengő Motorsport | CUPRA Leon Competición | 9 | 1:37.410 | 1.583 |
| 22 | 99 | Gábor KISMARTY-LECHNER | |
Zengő Motorsport | CUPRA Leon Competición | 9 | 1:39.731 | 3.904 |