Denis Dupont praised the efforts of the Comtoyou Racing team during the mid-season break in the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR), which enabled the Belgian to secure a maiden podium at Ningbo last weekend.
Not only did Dupont make his first visit to the Rostrum at the Ningbo International Speedpark, but the 25-year-old also finished inside the points in all three races of a WTCR weekend for the first time.
In another weekend of firsts, all four Comtoyou Racing Audis finished in the points for the first time in both the second and third races of the weekend.
Dupont praised the Belgian team for their efforts between the European and Asian legs of the season, which appeared to give their drivers renewed vigour in China.
“We have been struggling so far [this season] and this weekend was really good,” said Dupont. “Already at the Slovakiaring we showed quite good performance here and there, and now we could put everything together and make sure we had a really strong weekend.
“All weekend we were fast, but I really think the most thing is when you see the work the team has done during the summer break.
“All four cars are very strong now and everybody is scoring points. That’s really the key. Now we can work and move forward. I’m really thankful for that because it makes a big difference now.”
Dupont admits that the changes were not revolutionary in themselves, with a focus on smaller elements which all came together in the seventh weekend of the year.
“It’s the small details actually that makes the difference at such a high level when you miss a few points on the car, then you start far behind and you can never come back. Now we have just found a window that works quite well.
“I also think it’s the strongest weekend for Audi in the WTCR so far, and that’s very positive also for Audi.”