Yvan Muller on top of the championship after “perfect weekend” for YMR
Yvan Muller leads a world championship for the first time since the 2013 WTCC season after a successful pair of races on Saturday at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, following up his Thursday victory with a fourth and a third on Saturday morning to move into a 19-point lead over Gabriele Tarquini.
The Frenchman was in the frame during both races, fighting with the Comtoyou Audi of Frédéric Vervisch throughout Race 2, just losing out on the final lap and finding himself dropped to fourth, but a good start in Race 3 saw him running in third and safe after an early threat from the Münnich Honda of his nephew Yann Ehrlacher.
Muller’s podium result behind team-mate Thed Björk and Vervisch in Race 3, with Tarquini failing to finish Race 2 or start Race 3 means Muller is up into the lead of the standings.
“In 2016 when I was here for what I thought was the last time, I was at the hospital and I thought good, I don’t have to come back to this circuit again,” said Muller.
“Our cars are very scary here as (Vervisch) said, and (René) Rast and (Nicky) Catsburg have said the same thing. In our cars we have to push so hard to be on the pace, it’s amazing, and nobody can understand until you’re in the car.
“So one year off and I’m back, and leading the championship was not really my target, but I can be really pleased for my team, we’ve had two victories, and two pole positions, it’s a perfect weekend for the team.”
YMR have also moved into the lead of the teams’ title ahead of BRC, after a relative disaster on Saturday for the other Hyundai team, with Tarquini’s double-no score, and with Michelisz only scoring points in Race 2.
