Frédéric Vervisch relies on a good start to fight for Race 2 win

Frédéric Vervisch will start second for WTCR Race 2 at Adria tomorrow. The Comtoyou driver, who is the best-placed Audi in the championship standings, will start alongside title rival Yann Ehrlacher, who took the pole position.

“It was a really good lap, it can always be a bit quicker but I think everyone down the pit lane will tell you the same story”, said the Belgian to TouringCarTimes.

“We made some good progress, but I think Lynk & Co just have the upper hand. We are very light, had a BoP change and we are still not able to be easily in the top ten with our four cars. We obviously had a pretty good result, but they are just quicker.”

The changed Balance of Performance is well on Vervisch’s mind, as the Belgian praises his Lynk & Co rivals.

“I’m not complaining, we got something in our favour and we are using it, so it’s a good step compared to Pau. We are fighting for the championship and with their speed, we can’t catch up, simple as that. I think they have fantastic drivers and are a fantastic team. We have to focus on ourselves and we are in a good position, we grabbed good points in qualifying and hopefully I can overtake them or have at least a nice battle in the race.”

For tomorrow’s race the Comtoyou driver relies on a good start to try and gain track position over Ehrlacher, as he believes overtaking and following other cars will be tricky around the twisty Adria layout:

“I think having a good start would be crucial. It’s hard to overtake here, and there’s also the element of brake temperature, because if you are not careful while you follow another car you can have a brake failure, which has always been a factor in TCR.”

Despite being the hunter, the Belgian is aware that Ehrlacher is performing very well, which is shifting the pressure on the drivers chasing him:

“Of course he has pressure on himself, but he also puts pressure on us because they are delivering. He did the job and took maximum points today, he’s just shown how strong he his. It’s our job to find a bit more speed and challenge him.”

Vervisch expects his team-mates to help him, although he would prefer to avoid the eventuality as giving up good results for team orders is not a pleasant position to be in:

“This was always the understanding, that we would help each other. I’m in the best position in the championship and my team-mates have had some bad luck, we always knew we would help each other. If it’s for victory or for a podium the matter is more delicate, and I wouldn’t really like to get a result from my team-mates who work hard for it. On the other hand we work for the brand and it’s their decision. All in all I hope I won’t need it.”