Qatar to be the last hurrah for a number of WTCC drivers

Losail in Qatar will play host to the season finale of the World Touring Car Championship this Friday, with a number of drivers set to take part in their final race in the championship, although at this point that exact number is unknown.

18 cars will take part in the special night race event of the championship, while at this exact point in time, no driver has been officially confirmed for 2017 by any team, though TouringCarTimes understands a few key signings are due to be announced shortly at Honda and Volvo.

Citroën and Lada will both be taking part in their final race of the season. Citroën’s decision to leave the WTCC was made over a year ago, while Lada’s came as a surprise only at the start of this month.

Champion-elect José María López will be leaving the championship to focus on his Formula E campaign, which if rumours prove to be correct, will also be backed up by a drive in the World Endurance Championship with Toyota.

Four-time world champion Yvan Muller has also announced his retirement from the WTCC, though not necessarily from racing completely.

“Everyone is telling me it will be a special race and I’m beginning to realise that it will be a really emotional moment,” said Muller. “When I see how many of my friends are making the trip, I think there will be a lot of positive energy around the Citroën camp.”

With Lada’s withdrawal, all three of their drivers are in a last-minute hunt for seats next year, though none are optimistic. Before the Lada opportunity availed itself, Hugo Valente was all set to join the TCR International Series with Craft-Bamboo Racing. Gabriele Tarquini and Nicky Catsburg are also left on the hunt for seats, but with few factory seats available, Catsburg’s two-year career in the WTCC could be about to come to an unplanned end, while Tarquini’s last could be his 12th season.

Another WTCC regular who could well be taking part in his last race is James Thompson. The Briton has been pulled in on a race-by-race basis this year in Münnich Motorsport’s Chevrolet Cruze, but the team have made substantial changes to their driver programme each season, which could mean Thompson is left on the sidelines again for 2017.

With all the uncertainty aside, there is a season to finish, and although every title has been decided, with Sébastien Loeb Racing winning the independent teams’ title in Portugal, José María López securing the drivers’ title in Japan, and Citroën and Mehdi Bennani both wrapping up the manufacturers’ and independent drivers’ title in China, the remaining fights are about best-of-the rest or a final shot at glory.

The hottest battle is for second in the drivers’ championship, which is currently held by Yvan Muller, who surged ahead of Honda’s Tiago Monteiro in China to 31 points clear. With 55 points available at each weekend, the fight isn’t over, and with Honda losing 30kg of compensation weight, they’re in good stead to take the fight to the retiring touring car star.

“My aim at the start of the season was to finish in the top three of the championship, but while right now I’m third in the points, we’ll all try our absolute hardest to take second place,” said Monteiro. “Last year the Qatar weekend didn’t go especially well for me, but I still scored points twice, and the package we’ve developed with Honda this year is a significant step forwards.”

Monteiro’s chief threat will come from his two team-mates, who both mathematically can also finish in second overall, or at least topple him to be the best-placed Honda driver in the manufacturer’s strongest season to-date in the WTCC.

WTCC – Race of Qatar Entry List

No – Driver – Nat – Team – Car
2 – Gabriele Tarquini – ITA – Lada Sport – Lada Vesta WTCC
3 – Tom Chilton – GBR – Sébastien Loeb Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC
5 – Norbert Michelisz – HUN – Honda Racing Team JAS – Honda Civic WTCC
7 – Hugo Valente – FRA – Lada Sport – Lada Vesta WTCC
9 – Tom Coronel – NED – ROAL Motorsport – Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1
10 – Nicky Catsburg – NED – Lada Sport – Lada Vesta WTCC
11 – Grégoire Demoustier – FRA – Sébastien Loeb Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC
12 – Rob Huff – GBR – Honda Racing Team JAS – Honda Civic WTCC
15 – James Thompson – GBR – Münnich Motorsport – Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1
18 – Tiago Monteiro – POR – Honda Racing Team JAS – Honda Civic WTCC
25 – Mehdi Bennani – MOR – Sébastien Loeb Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC
27 – John Filippi – FRA – Campos Racing – Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1
37 – José María López – ARG – Citroën Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC
55 – Ferenc Ficza – HUN – Zengő Motorsport – Honda Civic WTCC
62 – Thed Björk – SWE – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60 WTCC
63 – Robert Dahlgren – SWE – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60 WTC
68 – Yvan Muller – FRA – Citroën Racing – Citroën C-Elysée WTCC
99 – Daniel Nagy – HUN – Zengő Motorsport – Honda Civic WTCC

WTCC – Race of Qatar Timetable

Thursday 24th November
14:00 – Shakedown
16:00 – Free Practice 1
21:00 – Free Practice 2

Friday 25th November
14:30 – Qualifying
21:20 – Opening Race (12 Laps)
22:35 – Main Race (13 Laps)

All time AST (CET+2, BST+3)

FIA WTCC – Race of Qatar Compensation Weights

Car – Ballast – Total Weight
Citroën C-Elysée WTCC – +80kg – 1,180kg
Honda Civic WTCC- +30kg – 1,130kg
Lada Vesta WTCC – +0kg – 1,100kg
Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 – +0kg – 1,100kg
Volvo S60 Polestar TC1 – +0kg – 1,100kg