Norbert Michelisz secured pole position for his home race and début in the TCR International Series at the Hungaroring, with the M1RA driver continuing to dominate in Budapest.
Michelisz had earlier topped both of the weekend’s free practice sessions as he makes his first appearance in the International Series for his own M1RA team.
The WTCC racer continued to be on the pace in qualifying, although it was Leopard Racing’s Jean-Karl Vernay who topped the first Q1 session.
Michelisz then went quickest in a red flag-interrupted Q2, beating Vernay by over half a second to the top time.
Third went to the second M1RA Honda of Hungarian Attila Tassi, who has just half a tenth shy of making it a dream 1-2 start for the Hungarian drivers at the front of the field.
DG Sport Compétition’s Mat’o Homola put his Opel Astra in fourth, ahead of the leading SEAT of Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Pepe Oriola in fifth.
Roberto Colciago, who is second overall in the championship, didn’t have the pace of team-mate and boss Michelisz and ended up in sixth, ahead of Leopard Racing’s Rob Huff in his new Volkswagen Golf GTi.
Norwegian racer Stian Paulsen was eighth fastest ahead of WestCoast Racing duo Gianni Morbidelli and Giacomo Altoè, who will start race two from the reversed-grid front row.
Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Dan Lloyd had originally posted the ninth-best time but he later had his best lap time deleted – for the second time in the session – for exceeding the track limits at Turn 4.
Q2 had to be red-flagged for a period when Danish racer Jens Reno Møller made a mistake under braking into Turn 1, pitching his Honda into the barriers before the run-off area, with the Civic coming to a rest in the tyres at the end of the start straight.
The only Craft-Bamboo Racing car not to make it through to Q2 was James Nash, who ended up in 13th. The Brit missed out by just two tenths of a second, in part due to losing his best time. He later questioned whether the correct lap had actually been deleted.
“My first flying lap was clean, but I tried a bit too hard in the second flying lap and ran a bit wide and my fastest lap got disallowed,” said a frustrated Nash. “It’s a bit unclear as to why my fastest lap was disallowed and not the lap that I ran wide, but nothing I can do about that now, so we’ll just have to get on with the races tomorrow.”
Comtoyou Racing continued to struggle for pace, with Frédéric Vervisch the best of the Audi drivers in 14th, whilst defending champion Stefano Comini was just 17th fastest.
Q2 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 59 | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 6 | 1:52.740 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 2 | Jean-Karl VERNAY |  |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 6 | 1:53.354 | 0.614 |
| 3 | 9 | Attila TASSI | |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 6 | 1:53.406 | 0.666 |
| 4 | 70 | Mat’o HOMOLA |  |
DG Sport Compétition | Opel Astra TCR | 6 | 1:53.495 | 0.755 |
| 5 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA |  |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 6 | 1:53.739 | 0.999 |
| 6 | 5 | Roberto COLCIAGO |  |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 6 | 1:53.835 | 1.095 |
| 7 | 3 | Rob HUFF |  |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 5 | 1:53.846 | 1.106 |
| 8 | 34 | Stian PAULSEN |  |
Stian Paulsen Racing | SEAT León TCR | 4 | 1:54.143 | 1.403 |
| 9 | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI | |
West Coast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 6 | 1:54.565 | 1.825 |
| 10 | 21 | Giacomo ALTOÈ | |
West Coast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 6 | 1:54.620 | 1.880 |
| 11 | 11 | Jens Reno MØLLER |  |
Reno Racing | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 2 | 2:01.165 | 8.425 |
| 12 | 17 | Daniel LLOYD | |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 5 | No time | N/A |
Q1 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 2 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 9 | 1:53.030 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 59 | Norbert MICHELISZ | |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 9 | 1:53.209 | 0.179 |
| 3 | 9 | Attila TASSI | |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 9 | 1:53.347 | 0.317 |
| 4 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA | |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 9 | 1:53.728 | 0.698 |
| 5 | 21 | Giacomo ALTOÈ | |
West Coast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 9 | 1:53.900 | 0.870 |
| 6 | 17 | Daniel LLOYD | |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 6 | 1:53.987 | 0.957 |
| 7 | 70 | Mat’o HOMOLA | |
DG Sport Compétition | Opel Astra TCR | 9 | 1:53.997 | 0.967 |
| 8 | 3 | Rob HUFF | |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 9 | 1:54.170 | 1.140 |
| 9 | 11 | Jens Reno MØLLER | |
Reno Racing | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 8 | 1:54.172 | 1.142 |
| 10 | 5 | Roberto COLCIAGO | |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 10 | 1:54.180 | 1.150 |
| 11 | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI | |
West Coast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 10 | 1:54.357 | 1.327 |
| 12 | 34 | Stian PAULSEN | |
Stian Paulsen Racing | SEAT León TCR | 9 | 1:54.430 | 1.400 |
| 13 | 54 | James NASH | |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 9 | 1:54.632 | 1.602 |
| 14 | 6 | Frédéric VERVISCH |  |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 9 | 1:54.652 | 1.622 |
| 15 | 80 | Dániel NAGY | |
Zengő Motorsport | SEAT León TCR | 9 | 1:54.667 | 1.637 |
| 16 | 16 | Davit KAJAIA |  |
GE-Force | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 8 | 1:54.735 | 1.705 |
| 17 | 1 | Stefano COMINI |  |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 8 | 1:54.742 | 1.712 |
| 18 | 62 | Dušan BORKOVIĆ |  |
GE-Force | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 9 | 1:54.945 | 1.915 |
| 19 | 66 | Grégoire DEMOUSTIER | |
DG Sport Compétition | Opel Astra TCR | 9 | 1:55.037 | 2.007 |
| 20 | 18 | Duncan ENDE |  |
Icarus Motorsports | SEAT León TCR | 9 | 1:55.833 | 2.803 |
| 21 | 26 | István BERNULA | |
Botka Rally Team | KIA Cee’d TCR | 10 | 1:56.283 | 3.253 |
| 22 | 20 | Márk JEDLÓCZKY | |
Unicorse Team | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 9 | 1:57.038 | 4.008 |
| 23 | 55 | Ferenc FICZA | |
Zengő Motorsport | KIA Cee’d TCR | 6 | 1:57.064 | 4.034 |
| 24 | 77 | Anett GYÖRGY | |
Zengő Motorsport | SEAT León TCR DSG | 8 | 1:59.863 | 6.833 |
| 25 | 31 | Milovan VESNIĆ | |
ASK Vesnić | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 3 | 2:00.651 | 7.621 |
| 26 | 78 | Csaba TÓTH | |
Zengő Motorsport | SEAT León TCR DSG | 5 | 2:00.807 | 7.777 |