Argentina, Race 1 : Muller wins from Oriola

After starting from pole position, Yvan Muller took another commanding lights-to-flag victory to further extend his lead in the WTCC Drivers’ Championship.

It was also yet another all-Chevrolet top three, but this time the runner-up to Muller was Pepe Oriola in the Tuenti Racing car and not Muller’s RML teammate Tom Chilton, who had to settle for third place.

Fourth-placed Gabriele Tarquini’s Honda Civic finished as the best non-Chevrolet, while ’Pechito’ López finished in a sensational fifth position and winner of the Yokohama Trophy, delighting the local fans. This was the Argentine driver’s debut in the Wiechers-Sport BMW and, since he starts Race 2 from pole position, he must be hoping that a record-breaking rookie victory is more than possible.

Both Rob Huff and Tiago Monteiro started from the back of the grid after engine changes and both drivers carved their way through the field to record top-ten finishes. Huff’s SEAT León passed the Chevrolet of James Nash on the final lap to reward the World Champion with eighth place, while Monteiro in the Castrol Honda Civic couldn’t find a way past the bamboo-engineering car and so took the chequered flag in tenth position.

Key moments

— Start – Michelisz passes Chilton in Turn 1 to take 2nd place
— Lap 1 - Tarquini and Oriola also pass Chilton
— Lap 1 - Tarquini on the grass, dropps to 7th; Coronel passes Thompson for 8th
— Lap 2 – Basseng passes D’Aste for 11th; Huff up to 14th
— Lap 3 – Chilton passes Oriola for 3rd; López up to 8th
— Lap 4 – Chilton and Oriola pass Michelisz for 2nd and 3rd
— Lap 5 – Bennani spins after contact with Münnich
— Lap 5 – Thompson hits Coronel who spins
— Lap 7 – Oriola passes Chilton for 2nd; López passes Nash for 6th
— Lap 10 – Michelisz passes Nash for 7th; López passes Nykjær for 5th
— Lap 11 – Huff passes Nash for 8th

Quotes from the podium

Yvan Muller – winner : “I’m pleased, of course, not only for myself but for the entire team; once again they did a terrific job and gave me a fantastic car. I’m also pleased to win the first race of the WTCC in Argentina – I really enjoyed it, since the track is fast, it’s wide and it’s easy to overtake. The only real moment it was possible for me to have any contact was right at the start and there was contact from the back which pushed me a little wide. I don’t know who it was – I will have to watch the video back. Fortunately, everyone then was fighting behind me; I used the chance to look after my tyres and so I got faster and faster.”

Pepe Oriola – 2nd : “I had a very good qualifying and so I knew I had a chance for a good result. It was a little bit crazy at the start – in the first corner, I had several people hitting me from the back and so it was a little tough for me to fight with them. It was a really good race – it was the first time that I knew I could get on the podium, but I am still learning the car. This is a great result and I hope this is the start of a string of results like this between now and the end of the season.”

Tom Chilton – 3rd : “This was a great result for the team; they’ve worked hard all weekend. In the race, I got hit quite hard from behind in Turn 1 and I was lucky not to go off on the exit. I had to use my tyres quite hard to get back up into second place – I’m sure it looked great on TV when I went around the outside of Michelisz at Turn 11! By the end of the race, my tyres weren’t in great shape and Pepe probably had a little bit left.”

‘Pechito’ López – 5th and 1st in Yokohama Trophy : “I have to start by saying thank you to the team. I’m very pleased to be here, but at the start all I could think of was taking care of the car since everyone else seemed very keen to welcome me to the WTCC! I stayed out of trouble and could use the overtaking places to pass when I could. I was watching the cars in front of me and when they were fighting I could catch them. The car was very good and was on the pace – it was important for me to record a good result in my own country. I am very happy – it’s a nice feeling.”