Gianni Morbidelli takes the positives from a mixed weekend at the Salzburgring

WestCoast Racing’s Gianni Morbidelli missed the podium in both races at the Salzburgring, but leaves still in close contention for the drivers’ title after a double-DNF for title rival Pepe Oriola.

The Italian had led the way through Saturday’s free practice sessions, but struggled in the wet, qualifying fourth but started sixth due to a two-place grid penalty. The grid spot earned him some trouble in the first corner as he made contact with the rear of Jordi Oriola’s Target Honda Civic and was also spun around as a melee built up behind him.

“In the first race, I did a great start, but at the end of the straight I locked the front tyres and I missed my braking point and had some small contact with Jordi (Oriola),” said Morbidelli to TouringCarTimes. “Then some others shunted me in the back and I lost a lot of positions. My car was very damaged on the front splitter, and I was very delighted to finish fourth,” he added.

In race two, Morbidelli was set to start from fourth on the grid thanks to a few non-starters ahead of him, but a call by the team to start on slicks proved to be the wrong decision, and he darted back into the pits at the end of the formation lap for wets, relegating him to the back of the pack.

“We could have done a bit better, but in a situation like this it’s a question of luck. We just decided to put slick tyres on for the second race, and it wasn’t the right decision, but we didn’t have a crystal ball to see the future,” he said.

In terms of the championship, Morbidelli is now just 13 points behind the championship leader, which is now Leopard Racing’s Stefano Comini, but is also joint-fourth in the standings with the other Leopard entry of Jean-Karl Vernay.

“We reduced the gap to the top of the standings, but we’ve lost a couple of positions, so you can see the glass as half full or half empty.”