Gilles Magnus rues error, but is happy with P2 on the grid and clear points lead

Gilles Magnus had to settle for second on the grid at Hockenheim in his Comtoyou Racing Audi RS 3 LMS, after the Belgian driver made a mistake on his second run in Q2 at Turn 13.

Magnus was sitting in second position after his first run in qualifying, just ten-hundredths of a second behind Josh Files’ Target Competition Hyundai.

The Audi driver was out for another run and looked set for an improvement before his mistake at Turn 13, which brought out the yellow flags.

The Audi suffered minor damage to the front-right, but with second on the grid, Magnus picks up four points in the championship and now moves four points clear of M Racing’s Nelson Panciatici, who qualified down in 23rd, and of Josh Files, who is now his closest rival in the championship.

“I’m happy with P2. It’s four points for the championship,” said Magnus to TouringCarTimes.

“In Q2 we had two shots; my first shot was good, and then on my second run I attacked, and attacked a little too much, but you have to take risks to be on pole. I was sure of the time I had already, so I could take a risk.”

Looking ahead to the race, Magnus fears with the Hyundais and Peugeots around him, leading at the start might be a tough ask, but the Audi has the pace to fight its way forward in the races.

“The start will be difficult, as there are a lot of good starting cars, and drivers who have a bit more experience than me starting these cars, but we’ve been working a bit on that – but on this track it’s also easy to pass, so I’m not too worried – I feel confident, so bring it on.”