Yvan Muller extends lead after strong weekend in Austria

Three-time WTCC champion Yvan Muller leaves Austria with an 80 point lead in the Championship after scoring 38 points at the Salzburgring, whilst closest rival in the standings Gabriele Tarquini only picked up four.

Although the French driver had set pole position on Saturday, Muller would have to start in the mid-field after he and 11 other drivers were handed grid penalties for driving infringements by the FIA.

On race day, the focus was on making the most of the races with Muller now starting 13th and 10th in both of the races. In race one Muller worked his way forward, first following the progress of the rival Chevrolet of Alex MacDowall, before passing MacDowall and then Fredy Barth and Mehdi Bennani’s BMWs to take the final spot on the podium behind the duelling Chevrolets of Nash and Nykjaer.

In race two, Muller’s charge was equally aggressive, and finished just 1.4 seconds behind race winner James Nash to claim the second highest points haul of the weekend despite his starting position.

“In the championship I benefitted as I finished twice ahead of Gabriele, so for the championship it was good,” said Muller. “I’m very pleased, the team has done a perfect job, and I’m pleased to have two podiums especially (considering) where I started.”

Now holding an 80 point lead on Tarquini heading to the next race at the Moscow Raceway, Muller’s position is the strongest he’s had in the WTCC to date, but he doesn’t plan to rest on his laurels.

“For sure my advantage in the Championship is much bigger than last year at the same point but with less victories, but we’ll see, of course it’s better to have that advantage than the other way around but the Championship is still long,” he said.

Rival Tarquini’s weekend was scuppered after the team were sent to the back of the grid in race one for a technical infringement with the Honda’s rear wing. In the second race eighth place was the best Tarquini could manage in the Honda as the Chevrolets had superior pace at the circuit, which only netted the Italian four points.

With James Nash scoring 43 points on race day and his first win in the WTCC, the British driver emerges in third place in the drivers’ standings, just ten points behind Tarquini, with Michel Nykjaer’s race one win also closing up the battle for second place, with the Dane just eight points further behind.