Photo: Honda

Esteban Guerrieri swoops to pole position in Morocco as Muller falters

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Esteban Guerrieri scored Honda’s first pole position in the World Touring Car Cup at the first opportunity in 2019, outqualifying Cyan Racing Lynk & Co 03 TCR driver Yvan Muller, who missed most of the session after damaging his car early-on.

Guerrieri’s best time of 1:24.773 came just after the half-way mark in his Münnich Motorsport Honda Civic TCR, which displaced the time set by Yvan Muller.

Yvan Muller had shown quick pace early in the session after setting provisional pole, but then had to sit out the rest of qualifying after damaging the oil sump on the car over one of the sausage kerbs at the first chicane.

Muller then indicated concern that the team may be forced to change the engine before the race, which could relegate him to last on the 26-car grid.

Muller’s team-mate Thed Björk made a late improvement to put his Lynk & Co 03 TCR third, with Guerrieri’s team-mate Néstor Girolami qualifying a strong fourth on his world touring car return in the second of the Münnich Hondas.

Andy Priaulx was fast on his touring car return as well, with the Guernseyman placing his Cyan Racing Lynk & Co fifth on the grid, ahead of the fastest of the Hyundais, that of last year’s champion Gabriele Tarquini.

Jean-Karl Vernay was the best-placed of the Audis, despite a puncture late the session.

Tiago Monteiro was eighth in the KCMG Honda Civic TCR, with Yann Ehrlacher making sure all four Lynk & Cos qualified in the top ten, with Daniel Haglöf the best-placed of the Cupra drivers on his WTCR debut with his own PWR Racing team in tenth.

Kevin Ceccon was the fastest of the Alfa Romeos in 11th, four-tenths off the pace, while the best-placed of the Volkswagens was Rob Huff, in a comparatively disastrous 16th for the German marque, with team-mates Johan Kristoffersson, Mehdi Bennani and Benjamin Leuchter 20th, 21st and 25th.

The session saw four punctures in total, with Comtoyou Racing’s Frédéric Vervisch, Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Rob Huff, Team Mulsanne’s Ma Qing Hua and then finally Vernay, all crawling back to the pits with front-right issues during the 40-minute session.

The first race is scheduled for 16:50 WEST (17:50 CEST).