Stefano Comini disappointed with results so far

Stefano Comini had yet another difficult qualifying session, finishing ninth after more problems hit the championship leader.

“I had a few gearbox issues,” said Comini to TouringCarTimes. “It would sometimes switch to neutral before downshifting, or upshift two gears instead of one. I also ruined one lap as I locked the wheels on cold tyres, so I spoiled that lap.”

Comini is also concerned about having Hugo Valente next to him in his Campos Racing Opel Astra OPC, as the French driver is aggressive and has nothing to lose: “I hope we will have a clean start. The main thing for me is to look after the championship, so I need to score points in order to keep the lead heading into Macau. Hopefully Hugo will understand that and will not be too aggressive.”

Comini lost four points to championship rival Pepe Oriola, with the Craft-Bamboo Lukoil driver now only seven points behind the Target Competition driver.