Spa, Race 1: Lights to flag win for Muller

Yvan Muller took another commanding win in the first of the Spa races today. He beat team mates Loeb and López to the La Source hairpin at the start and never quite looked back. The only change in position at the front came when López outbraked Loeb at the end of the straight on the final lap.

With three Citroën cars filling the podium, Morbidelli led home the rest of the field ahead of Coronel, who passed works Honda driver Monteiro on the finish line. Franz Engstler, as usual, won the TC2T class from Filippi and newcomer Nagy.

Key moments

— Grid – The car of Dušan Borković develops an oil leak on the grid. The team had changed the engine overnight and the Serbian driver thus has to start the race from the back of the grid.
— Start – The Citroën cars make a clean escape while Tarquini and Valente clash entering Eau Rouge. The Honda driver loses quite a few places and drops to eighth.
— Lap 1 – Huff spins in the Pif-Paf while running tenth and drops to 21st.
— Lap 2 – Borković, who started last, passes Ma for 11th at the end of the Combes straight.
— Lap 3 – López chases Loeb for second down the Combes straight. Filippi passes Di Sabatino for second in the TC2T class. Valente (fourth) and Bennani (tenth) are given a drive-through penalty for running wide on the opening laps. López passes Loeb in the chicane, but the rally champion retakes his position at the Source hairpin.
— Lap 4 – Bennani takes his drive-through penalty.
— Lap 5 – Valente takes his drive-through penalty.
— Lap 6 – Borković, Ma and Chilton fight a hard battle for tenth. Bennani passes Huff for 15th.
— Lap 9 – López outbrakes Loeb at the end of the Combes straight and takes second place.
— Lap 9 – Muller takes another commanding win ahead of Lopez and Loeb. Morbidelli hangs on to fourth ahead of Coronel and Monteiro, the Dutchman beating the Portuguese for fifth by just centimetres.