Hungaroring, Race 2: First win for Morbidelli

Gianni Morbidelli scored an epic WTCC win in the second race at the Hungaroring today, leading from lights to chequered flag. The first for the Italian driver and for Chevrolet RML TC1 car.

Honda’s Tiago Monteiro chased Morbidelli hard for the entire race, with the gap between the Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet and the works Honda never being more than 0.4 seconds, but in the end the Portuguese driver had to settle for second.

Third place went to Frenchman Hugo Valente in the Campos Chevrolet RML Cruze, making it the first time this season a Citroën did not win the race and indeed the first podium without a Citroën driver.

For the German Münnich Motorsport team the races in Budapest seem to bring luck, as the team won here as well last year with Rob Huff.

Tom Coronel, who returned to the series this weekend after his massive accident in the opening round in Marrakech, finished in fourth ahead of the Citroën cars of Muller and Lopez.

In the TC2T class it was business as usual, with the two Liqui Moly Team Engstler BMW cars again finishing first and second, this time with Engstler ahead of Di Sabatino.

Key moments
— Grid – Mehdi Bennani does not take the start of the second race, having blown his turbo on the slow-down lap after Race 1.
— Start – Morbidelli and Monteiro both make a blitz-start, leading the way ahead of Valente and Coronel. Muller pushes López going into Turn 1 to claim 5th, having started 10th.
— Lap 1 – Morbidelli leads from Monteiro and Valente, the three drivers creating a bit of a gap to fourth-place Tom Coronel.
— Lap 2 – Muller passes Coronel going into Turn 1 but runs wide and Coronel takes back fourth. Chilton closes in on López.
— Lap 3 – Michelisz chases Loeb for 9th who in turn is eyeing Tarquini for 8th. Valente sets provisional fastest lap.
— Lap 4 – Kozlovskiy pits.
— Lap 5 – Monteiro sets fastest race lap chasing Morbidelli, who keeps a slim 0.3-second lead.
— Lap 6 – Borković passes Huff for 11th.
— Lap 9 – López closes in on Muller, but the four-time World Champion keeps the door closed.
— Lap 11 – Loeb tries to pass Tarquini for 8th going into Turn 1 but misses his target. Münnich passes Thompson for 13th.
— Lap 14 – Morbidelli resists a final attempt from Monteiro and Valente e crosses the line first.