Campos Racing’s Hugo Valente targeting podium in Belgium

After shining in qualifying on Saturday, 21-year-old Hugo Valente is targeting at least one podium result on race day after emerging as the fastest of the Chevrolet drivers, qualifying fourth on the grid behind the Citroën trio of Yvan Muller, Sébastien Loeb and José María López.

The Frenchman, who lost out on a chance to take his first race victory two weeks’ ago in Moscow when he was served with a drive-through penalty while leading as his tyres hadn’t been fitted before the five minute board, hopes to bounce back on race day at Spa-Francorchamps.

“It’s very hard to get to P4, I thought the best we could do would we P5, but thanks to the mistake of the other Citroën of Ma Qin Hua, he allowed us to win one spot,” said Valente to TouringCarTimes.

“I hope that we can keep this pace and hope for a podium. We hope to pass one of the Citroëns fairly, they’re faster in sector two, but we’re very fast in sector one, and in sector two, it’s impossible to overtake, so the start is going to be very important.”

On whether he felt a podium in race one battling against the Citroëns would feel better or worse than a race win from the reversed grid, Valente added:

“I don’t know, a win is a win at the end of the day, but if I get on the podium in race one, it will feel like a win for sure, it doesn’t in terms of points, but in terms of confidence it will.”