Dan Rowbottom put together a sensational lap but his Napa Racing Ford on pole position for the first race of the BTCC season with a 1:07.598 ahead of teammate Ash Sutton. Sutton, a three-time champion, had set a quicker time of a 1:07.486 before getting it removed for track limits.
This left the Motorbase team having to give Sutton one last all or nothing lap to try and gain back anything he had lost with the last lap time. The time could not be replicated but P2 is not a terrible starting position.
Jake Hill was the highest placed BMW run by Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport qualifying in P3. Just beating fellow BMW driver Colin Turkington by 0.112 seconds placing the Team BMW car on the second row.
Dan Cammish rounded out the top five making it three Napa Racing Fords inside the top five and highlighting how close the front end of the grid is with all five within 0.329 seconds of each other.
Tom Ingram was next in P6 in the Toyota Gazoo Racing car impressing despite causing a red flag in the first practice session of the day limiting his running coming into the most important session of the weekend so far.
Josh Cook in the One Motorsport Honda Civic and Adam Morgan in the second Team BMW car in the top 10 managed to outqualify Andrew Watson in the Power MAxed Racing Vauxhall Astra in his very first attempt in the championship.
Ricky Collard, teammate of Ingram in the Toyota Gazoo Racing outfit did not participate in the top 10 shootout as of a fuel leak at the end of the first session leaving him unable to take part in the second part.
It was really close to the people that nearly made the top 10 shootout. From Watson in P10 in the first session to Aiden Moffat in the One Motorsport Honda Civic. in P18 were split by less than 0.25 of a second.
Some were unable to complete their final laps due to Nick Halstead causing a red flag with 40 seconds remaining in the EXCELR8 Hyundai which ended the session there and then.
Ronan Pearson in the third EXCELR8 Hyundai was excruciatingly close, not making it through by being 0.06 seconds with qualifying coming to an end in P11.
Despite some surprise that there was no BMW on the front row it was foreshadowed by the 1-2-3 by the Napa Racing Fords in the first qualifying session.
Q2 results
| POS | NO | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 32 |  |
Daniel ROWBOTTOM | NAPA Racing UK | Ford Focus ST | 1:07.598 | – | |
| 2 | 116 | |
Ashley SUTTON | NAPA Racing UK | Ford Focus ST | 1:07.639 | 0.041 | |
| 3 | 24 | |
Jake HILL | Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport | BMW 330e M Sport | 1:07.698 | 0.100 | |
| 4 | 4 | |
Colin TURKINGTON | Team BMW | BMW 330e M Sport | 1:07.810 | 0.212 | |
| 5 | 27 | |
Dan CAMMISH | NAPA Racing UK | Ford Focus ST | 1:07.927 | 0.329 | |
| 6 | 1 | |
Tom INGRAM | BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 | Hyundai i30 N Fastback | 1:08.014 | 0.416 | |
| 7 | 66 | |
Josh COOK | One Motorsport with Starline Racing | Honda Civic Type-R | 1:08.134 | 0.536 | |
| 8 | 33 | |
Adam MORGAN | Team BMW | BMW 330e M Sport | 1:08.315 | 0.717 | |
| 9 | 11 | |
Andrew WATSON | CarStore Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall Astra | 1:08.941 | 1.343 | |
| 10 | 37 | |
Ricky COLLARD | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK | Toyota Corolla GR Sport | 0:00.000 |
Q1 results
| POS | NO | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 116 | |
Ashley SUTTON | NAPA Racing UK | Ford Focus ST | 16 | 1:07.570 | – |
| 2 | 32 | |
Daniel ROWBOTTOM | NAPA Racing UK | Ford Focus ST | 17 | 1:07.705 | 0.135 |
| 3 | 27 | |
Dan CAMMISH | NAPA Racing UK | Ford Focus ST | 18 | 1:07.827 | 0.257 |
| 4 | 4 | |
Colin TURKINGTON | Team BMW | BMW 330e M Sport | 18 | 1:07.963 | 0.393 |
| 5 | 24 | |
Jake HILL | Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport | BMW 330e M Sport | 18 | 1:08.169 | 0.599 |
| 6 | 1 | |
Tom INGRAM | BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 | Hyundai i30 N Fastback | 15 | 1:08.185 | 0.615 |
| 7 | 66 | |
Josh COOK | One Motorsport with Starline Racing | Honda Civic Type-R | 14 | 1:08.186 | 0.616 |
| 8 | 11 | |
Andrew WATSON | CarStore Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall Astra | 15 | 1:08.271 | 0.701 |
| 9 | 33 | |
Adam MORGAN | Team BMW | BMW 330e M Sport | 19 | 1:08.298 | 0.728 |
| 10 | 37 | |
Ricky COLLARD | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK | Toyota Corolla GR Sport | 11 | 1:08.319 | 0.749 |
| 11 | 14 | |
Ronan PEARSON | BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 | Hyundai i30 N Fastback | 18 | 1:08.381 | 0.811 |
| 12 | 123 | |
Daniel LLOYD | Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils | CUPRA Leon | 19 | 1:08.438 | 0.868 |
| 13 | 6 | |
Rory BUTCHER | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK | Toyota Corolla GR Sport | 17 | 1:08.464 | 0.894 |
| 14 | 3 | |
Tom CHILTON | BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 | Hyundai i30 N Fastback | 16 | 1:08.482 | 0.912 |
| 15 | 12 | |
Stephen JELLEY | Team BMW | BMW 330e M Sport | 20 | 1:08.493 | 0.923 |
| 16 | 40 |  |
Árón TAYLOR-SMITH | CarStore Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall Astra | 16 | 1:08.521 | 0.951 |
| 17 | 42 | |
George GAMBLE | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK | Toyota Corolla GR Sport | 18 | 1:08.526 | 0.956 |
| 18 | 16 | |
Aiden MOFFAT | One Motorsport with Starline Racing | Honda Civic Type-R | 20 | 1:08.528 | 0.958 |
| 19 | 77 | |
Sam OSBORNE | NAPA Racing UK | Ford Focus ST | 13 | 1:08.731 | 1.161 |
| 20 | 17 | |
Dexter PATTERSON | Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD. | CUPRA Leon | 17 | 1:08.831 | 1.261 |
| 21 | 88 | |
Mikey DOBLE | CarStore Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall Astra | 14 | 1:09.019 | 1.449 |
| 22 | 19 | |
Bobby THOMPSON | Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils | CUPRA Leon | 11 | 1:09.035 | 1.465 |
| 23 | 96 | |
Jack BUTEL | Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown | CUPRA Leon | 17 | 1:09.124 | 1.554 |
| 24 | 70 | |
Will POWELL | One Motorsport with Starline Racing | Honda Civic Type-R | 17 | 1:09.474 | 1.904 |
| 25 | 28 | |
Nicolas HAMILTON | Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown | CUPRA Leon | 16 | 1:09.634 | 2.064 |
| 26 | 22 | |
Nick HALSTEAD | BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 | Hyundai i30 N Fastback | 20 | 1:09.735 | 2.165 |
| 27 | 99 | |
Jade EDWARDS | Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD. | CUPRA Leon | 16 | 1:10.010 | 2.440 |