Sergey Afanasyev: “Today was a nice surprise!”

Sergey Afanasyev lost third place just under the flag, as Craft-Bamboo Lukoil team-mate Pepe Oriola just made it to third at the very end of the session.

The Russian driver is not too disappointed, though: “I was actually expecting third, but then Pepe did better than I did and I slipped down to fourth. Anyway, it was a good result for me,” said Afanasyev to TouringCarTimes.

The Russian praised the team effort, particularly over the work done on slipstreaming, which he is not used to doing: “It was difficult to teach me how to slipstream with these cars, so it was a very good team effort. It’s not an easy job, so it was a very nice surprise. We also feared rain during Q2, which made it all even more exciting. We are second and third among the SEATs, so I am really satisfied.”

Speaking about tomorrow’s race, Afanasyev said he will not look after his team-mate and will instead push for his own result: “It’s way too early in the season to think about helping Pepe (Oriola). I will go for it and try to finish as high as I can. The championship is very long, and there are a lot of points to collect.”

The SEAT driver also commented on the battle between title rivals Stefano Comini and Pepe Oriola, which may give him an opportunity to finish higher: “It’s going to be exciting to see Pepe fighting with Stefano Comini, because they are like two crocodiles, so I will try to take advantage of that if possible.