Hyundai, Honda and Lynk & Co drivers will continue the battle for the FIA World Touring Car Cup title at the Hungaroring this weekend, with the Chinese marque having closed in last time out.
Although Hyundai’s Jean-Karl Vernay currently leads the drivers’ championship standings, the Frenchman was only able to extend his lead by three points last time out at Aragón in Spain, as rivals from Cyan Racing Lynk & Co closed in.
No driver has won more than one race from the six contested thus far in 2021, with the title fight currently wide open.
Vernay is one of only three drivers to have stood on the podium more than once this year, although the Engstler Motorsport driver missed out on the rostrum last time out.
For the second WTCR event in a row, the 34-year-old must also combine his WTCR duties with competing in the rear-wheel drive, all-electric PURE ETCR series. Switching between two radically different types of car will present an additional challenge for Vernay compared with his main rivals.
Aragón saw fellow Hyundai racer Gabriele Tarquini and Audi’s Frédéric Vervisch claim victories, but consistent scoring from the Lynk & Co drivers of Yann Ehrlacher, Yvan Muller and Santiago Urrutia has moved them up to second, third and fourth in the drivers’ standings respectively.
Remarkably, 2019 champion Norbert Michelisz has had a slow start to his season, sitting just 14th in the drivers’ standings. On home soil Michelisz should perform better, with a clear need to return to the podium after just one rostrum this year in Portugal, although he hasn’t won a race in WTCR since the 2019 finale.
Honda had performed well in the opening two events of the season, but the Münnich Motorsport drivers were hit hard by compensation weight for the event in Spain, with the Civics carrying the maximum 60 kg of compensation weight plus an extra 10 kg of Balance of Performance [BoP] weight.
Esteban Guerrieri was the marque’s best performer in qualifying, managing just the 16th fastest lap. All four drivers face another tough task this weekend, with their share of compensation weight remaining unchanged, keeping the car as the heaviest on the grid at 1,345 kg.
The Lynk & Co 03 and the Hyundai Elantra N will be the joint second heaviest cars in the field at the Hungaroring, carrying 1,325 kg, whilst the new Audi RS3 LMS will total 1,285 kg. The new CUPRA Leon is the field’s lightest car at 1,265 kg in total.
Despite Honda’s handicaps, the Japanese marque has always performed well at the circuit just outside Budapest.
Honda drivers have picked up five wins out of the nine races held at the circuit since 2018, with the Civics also having been proven multiple Hungary race-winners in the WTCC which preceded WTCR.
Whilst Guerrieri remains the best-placed of Honda’s drivers in the standings in sixth, 24 points from the top of the table, the brand also has Attila Tassi and Tiago Monteiro in the mix as well, just one point and four points further adrift respectively.
Néstor Girolami has only picked up two top ten finishes all year, in the season opener at the Nürburgring, but the Argentine was a double winner at the circuit two years’ ago and really must kick-start his campaign this weekend, being 37 points from the championship lead.
A brand really needing to kick-start its campaign will be CUPRA. All four drivers have endured a troubled start to the 2021 season, with only Mikel Azcona having stood on the podium.
The team, run by Zengő Motorsport, will have what it describes as one of the ‘most important’ weekends in its history this weekend, as it combines its extensive WTCR effort with also running cars for CUPRA in PURE ETCR.
Jordi Gené may be amongst the most experienced drivers on the grid, but the Spaniard has never actually raced a touring car around the Hungaroring, whilst Rob Huff has picked up just two of his 31 race wins at the circuit.
One to watch
Despite the weight of the Hondas, expect Hungarian youngster Attila Tassi to perform well this weekend. If the 22-year-old can have a solid weekend on home soil, with at least a visit to the podium, he could find himself in genuine title contention for the final three events of the year.
Timetable (BST, -1 hour from CEST)
Saturday 21 August
08:30 – 09:15 – Free practice one
11:30 – 12:00 – Free practice two
14:30 – 15:25 – Qualifying
Sunday 22 August
11:15 – 11:45 – Race one
14:15 – 14:50 – Race two