Beijing, Race 1: Chilton from lights to flag

Chilton wins ahead of Muller and López

“Absolutely fabulous!” Tom Chilton had the right words to describe his sensational win in Race 1 at Beijing.

The Brit had surprised everybody taking the pole in the morning and was simply unapproachable during the race. A long safety-car period as from lap 3, caused by an accident between Borković and Münnich, which provisionally cancelled Chilton’s 4-second advantage, didn’t impact at all on the his composure.

Yvan Muller and championship leader José María López completed the podium for Citroën, with the Frenchman securing second as from the start when he passed Tarquini. The Italian lost third in the closing laps, falling as an indirect victim of Ma’s off-track. The race of the local Chinese star ended when he went wide and hit the tire wall. Franz Engstler won once again among TC2 contenders.

Key moments
— Start – Chilton takes perfect start, while Muller passes Tarquini for second; Ma passes various cars on the outside
— Lap 1 – Chilton leads by 2 seconds ahead of Muller, Tarquini, López, Loeb and Michelisz
— Lap 3 – There is contact between Münnich and Borković in the back straight, with both cars hitting the wall. The safety-car is deployed
— Lap 11 – At the restart, Chilton pulls away ahead an orderly group
— Lap 12 – Morbidelli and Michelisz pass Loeb for fifth and sixth; Ma is 9th after overtaking Huff
— Lap 14 – Monteiro (11th) stops in the pits, after being hit by another car
— Lap 16 – Chilton leads with 4.7 seconds ahead of Muller, Tarquini, López, Morbidelli, Michelisz and Loeb
— Lap 17 – Ma passes Thompson for 8th
— Lap 23 – Ma goes wide off-track between turns 10 and 11 and loses three positions; the Citroën hits a stack of tyres that bounces back on the track and is collected by Coronel.
— Lap 24 – Also Tarquini stops in the pits, after running on some debris
— Lap 28 – Chilton wins ahead of Muller and López, while Valente drops out of the points with a flat front right tyre