James Thompson caught out by weighbridge

LADA Sport Lukoil driver James Thompson will start 16th for both of today’s races, missing out on a chance to get into the second part of qualifying due to being called into the FIA weighbridge late in the session.

Thompson had completed two runs and was preparing for his first run on new tyres at the end of Q1, when he was called into the weighbridge as he returned to the pit lane. The team were just able to fit the new tyres to the car and send him out, but he had less than two minutes to get around the track to get to the chequered flag, meaning he had to drive the out-lap like a hot lap.

“We wanted to do three runs and use used tyres on the first two runs and new tyres for the third run and save a set of new tyres for Qualifying 2 assuming that we got there,” said Thompson to TouringCarTimes.

“Unfortunately we got pulled into the FIA (scrutineering check) with four minutes to go, so though we used the new tyres I had two do an under two minute lap as my out-lap, so my only set of new tyres were finished half way around the track.”

The Lada Granta has struggled at the Hungarian track this weekend, with its best showing so far in Sunday’s morning warm up with new components fitted, where Thompson was fifth fastest.

“We’re good in the first sector, always in the top three cars. In the slow speed corners we’re good but when we get out the back, as the car’s very narrow and not so stable, the long corners particularly with the change of direction we’re really poor, so we’re 19th fastest in the middle sector and then about tenth in the last sector.”

“We’ve just got to evolve the car, we have a new suspension that we’re going to run (on race day), so we’ll see how it works in the warm up and use it in the race and see if we can find a bit of speed.”