Last-minute tyre call key to Hockenheim victory – Felice Jelmini
PMA Motorsport’s Felice Jelmini said the late call to switch onto wet tyres was crucial to securing his first TCR Europe victory of the season at Hockenheim.
The Audi RS 3 LMS driver bucked the trend of the majority of cars on the grid by electing to fit four wet tyres for Sunday’s second encounter, a strategic that paid off handsomely.
Jelmini took the lead at the start of the second lap and produced a masterclass performance thereafter, opening up a lead of over 25-seconds from the chasing pack.
“I’m happy with the result, we took the gamble to change the tyres on the grid, from slicks to wets,” said Jelmini post-race.
“And then, I had a big advantage compared to the others and we just had to manage. They tried to push me out, the car was completely bent at the rear; someone tried to push me or they missed their braking point at turn three, probably because of the conditions.
“But the car was completely bent, but I just had to manage the conditions. In the end it was a bit of a stress because of the safety car, because I had no pace compared to the others on wet tyres, but I am happy to get the win.”
Despite having to drive a damaged car, Jelmini’s pace was far superior to those behind, who had opted for a mixture of slick front tyres and wet rears.
By the time the safety car was deployed, Jelmini had established a near 40-second advantage as several cars suffered off-track moments, including chief rival Marco Butti.
The topsy-turvy weather at Hockenheim delivered an equally jumbled TCR Europe standings post-weekend, with erstwhile points leader Teddy Clairet losing the lead to his Team Clairet Sport team-mate and brother, Jimmy.
The latter bagged a podium finish in race one from ninth on the grid, while Teddy – who missed out on Q2 on Saturday – was left pointless after an incident with Nicolas Taylor.
Teddy was subsequently penalised five places on the grid for race two, but charged through the field to salvage a superb sixth place.
In the standings, Jimmy now leads Teddy by 24 points, while Monlau Motorsport’s Eric Gené lies third just a further five points adrift.
“I can’t expect any more than this, so I’m really happy to be P3 today,” said Clairet after Saturday’s opening race.
“I didn’t get a good start, but I got a good restart after the safety car which was the key point of the race, so I was able to take three or four cars in one go.
“I then had some clear air ahead and then just waited for mistakes from the drivers ahead of me. I overtook Baldan when he made a mistake when he tried to overtake Butti, so it was an exciting race.
“It’s a bit sad for Teddy, as I saw he crashed at Turn 6 and I don’t know what happened, and I’m sad as we’re playing for this championship together.”
The next round of the 2025 TCR Europe season will take place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on the weekend of 27-29 June.
