Photo: WTCR Media

Mikel Azcona: “It looks good for the championship”

Mikel Azcona took a double FIA WTCR podium at Vallelunga to extend his points lead, admitting tough conditions throughout the weekend.

“The conditions were very tough, we struggled a lot especially with the tyre temperatures,” said Azcona to TouringCarTimes. “You have to tweak the setup of the car all the time to finish the race, otherwise you don’t take any points.”

The Spaniard says the chase for the optimal setup was never ending, as more solutions were found to preserve the tyres.

“The car was coping very well, although we had to change the setup a lot, especially with the front camber. It was tough because every time you went out you had no guarantee the changes you made would work,” said Azcona.

The Spaniard admits he didn’t push to his maximum in fear of a race-ending puncture and heads home from the Italian weekend a happy man.

“A double podium feels great, it’s fantastic and it looks good for the championship,” said Azcona.

“I was pushing towards the end of the race, because the car felt good, but at the same time I wanted to finish the race, so I was probably pushing 90% because I didn’t want a puncture.”