The WTCR had big plans for its 2021 campaign with an Asian tour that finally cannot be carried out. The World Touring Car Cup stays in Europe and that means Hungaroring marks the halfway point of a completely different campaign which Eurosport Events drew at the beginning. Be that as it may, the championship TCRs land at the Hungaroring, an old-school track that often puts on a great show and very tight races. French Jean-Karl Vernay arrives in Budapest as leader of the WTCR after its positive start to the year with the new Hyundai Elantra N TCR.
Hungary is a demanding track and this was evident in the first visits of the WTCR to the circuit, following in the wake of past WTCC races. Along the its 4,381 meters they hide 14 curves. The braking in turns 1 and 12 are the strongest and most demanding, while the central sector is the most technical. In it there are several linked angles of great mechanical support in which it is difficult to find the balance of the car. In this line, Hungaroring does not offer great overtaking possibilities by its narrowness and by the concatenation of curves that form it. It was last paved in 2016.
The first three rounds of the WTCR at the Nürburgring, Estoril and MotorLand have drawn quite a few alternatives. With everything, Jean-Karl Vernay has been one of the most regular drivers and with a victory and a podium, he remains at the head of the general classification with 82 points. Reigning champion Yann Ehrlacher appears eight units behind, while Yvan Muller occupies the third position of the classification. The good work of the Lynk & Co is also reflected in the fourth place of Santiago Urrutia, in the shadow of his two teammates. With Gabriele Tarquini fifth, the best Honda rider is Attila Tassi after his victory in Portugal.
Far from what the classification itself reflects, it is true that Hyundai, Lynk & Co and Honda have shone at one time or another, something that the other two brands present in the contest have not managed to do. Both Audi at the debut of the new Audi RS 3 LMS TCR and CUPRA have struggled to be competitive, even if the cars of the German firm left signs of improvement in MotorLand. A sensation that can also be ‘adopted’ for the Spanish firm, although Mikel Azcona’s podium in the reverse grid race at Alcañiz can be a bit misleading.
Despite this crossing of sensations, Audi and Hyundai have received increased compensation weights for the Hungaroring. The TCRs of both brands have received an increase of 10 kilograms. In the case of Audi that means having +10 kg., While for Hyundai this increase reflects +50 kg. relative to its base running weight. With these changes, The Honda Civic Type R remains the heaviest car (1,345 kg) on the WTCR grid, while the lightest TCR in the championship is the CUPRA León Competición (1,265 kg.), even if the results are not very good.
Schedules of the WTCR 2021 at the MotorLand Aragón circuit