James Thompson believes that the pace he showed during the opening FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) race in Morocco puts him in a good position for Sunday’s two races, despite only finishing in 14th.
Thompson started the race in tenth on the grid, but contact at Turn 1 on the opening lap from the Comtoyou Racing Audi of Frédéric Vervisch sent the Brit into a long half spin, costing him significant time and dropping him to 15th.
With safety car and red flag interruptions thereafter, and overtaking difficult on the narrow street circuit, the Münnich Motorsport driver made little further progress in the race and finished in just 14th, despite posting similar lap times to his team-mate Esteban Guerrieri.
It is those lap times that Thompson believes will stand him in good stead for Sunday’s two races.
“I’m pleased with the pace I’ve shown not just in the race, but all day,” said Thompson. “I started P10 and was confident of scoring points.
“Unfortunately, some people went a bit crazy at the start. Frédéric Vervisch hit me and then kept his foot on the power once the contact was made, which stopped me from being able to get the car straight.
“I finished P14, but on times, my pace was as good as Esteban and Yann [Ehrlacher] in the race, so that puts me in a good position for tomorrow’s races.”