Esteban Guerrieri and Nicky Catsburg ready to help team-mates if needed

Honda and Volvo drivers Esteban Guerrieri and Nicky Catsburg outqualified their championship leading team-mates in qualifying at Losail in Qatar, and both have vowed to help Norbert Michelis and Thed Björk respectively if called for in tonight’s races.

Guerrieri planted his Honda Civic WTCC on pole position for the season finale, while team-mate Norbert Michelisz found himself stuck outside of the top ten with a brake issue.

Catsburg meanwhile starts two positions ahead of Polestar Cyan Racing team-mate Thed Björk for the main race, which puts him eighth and the first Volvo the factory Hondas could encounter in the opening race at 21:20 AST.

“There was good potential for both of us before qualifying, but unfortunately (Michelisz) is out of the top ten, which means we have to come up with a plan,” said Guerrieri to TouringCarTimes.

With Guerrieri starting ten places ahead of Michelisz in the main race, the Argentinian, who has an outside shot of the title, said he’s unsure what he can do to help.

“There’s not much I can do from my situation. For Norbi, he’ll just try to do his best and if somehow I can help him I will, but the race is my focus.”

With Honda on the backfoot, the pressure is slightly off Volvo, despite the Swedish manufacturer clearly slower than Honda at Losail, with Catsburg working to make sure the team come away with both titles.

“The scenario’s changed a little bit, but still if in any case I need to help Thed, we will do everything to win both championships,” said Catsburg to TouringCarTimes. “We want to win both championships, and I think we’re in a good position to win both.”