The Panel of the Stewards has hit out with force at the drivers who turned today’s WTCC qualifying session at the Salzburgring into a slow procession.
Fourteen of them were investigated and twelve deemed guilty for “Unsporting behaviour on the track which damages the image of motorsport in general and in particular the FIA WTCC” either in Q1 or Q2 or in both. The relevant offences relate to breaches of Appendix L, Chapter 4, Article 2e and Article 151 of the International Sporting Code.
The Stewards imposed the following grid penalties: Tarquini (6th) twelve positions for both tomorrow’s races; Oriola (8th) eight positions for both races; Coronel (12th) ten for the first race and five for the second; Muller (1st), Chilton (2nd), Monteiro (7th) and Michelisz (9th) twelve positions for Race 1; Huff (3rd) ten positions for Race 1; MacDowall (4th) eight positions for Race 1; D’Aste (11th), Valente (18th) and O’Young (19th) all five positions for Race 1.
These competitors also received fines ranging from €1,000 to €6,000.
This places Michel Nykjær – the only Q2 qualifier not under investigation – on pole position for the first race.