Esteban Guerrieri: Honda likely to replicate Hyundai team tactics

World Touring Car Cup runner-up Esteban Guerrieri believes his Honda squad Münnich Motorsport will eventually deploy team orders in the battle for supremacy in the condensed 2020 WTCR campaign, referencing the success of main rival Hyundai’s 2019 tactics.

Guerrieri, who narrowly lost out on last year’s world touring car crown to Hyundai’s Norbert Michelisz in a tense finale in Malaysia, is one of the title favourites once again ahead of the delayed 2020 opener at Zolder next weekend.

Hyundai and Honda will each field four full-time cars again in WTCR this year with BRC Racing Team and Münnich Motorsport, with the resumption of the Michelisz/Guerrieri fight one of the main storylines.

Speaking in a Zoom interview hosted by Honda for select media, including TouringCarTimes, Guerrieri said lessons had been made from last year, referencing the way Hyundai had gone about the 2019 season.

“To be honest we’ve seen how Hyundai worked last year, since event two or three,” said the Argentinian. “(Augusto) Farfus was already giving up positions to let Norbi (Michelisz) take more points and everybody worked in one direction there. It was very clear.

“I took the example of Hyundai because it came straight to my mind what they were doing last year. So yeah, hopefully we can do [the same thing].”

Following an overhaul of Honda’s WTCR involvement, the Japanese manufacturer is shifting its two-team set-up used last year into a one-squad operation in 2020, with all four cars now run by Münnich Motorsport.

Guerrieri, who raced for Münnich last year alongside Néstor Girolami, said having Attila Tassi and Tiago Monteiro join in from KCMG would be a significant advantage.

“I am not saying that we weren’t working together last year, but we were two different teams. Even though we were racing Honda cars, we had different sponsors with different interests. In the end it was a good year, but we could have done probably better if we were in a situation like we are now.

“Now, being all together under one structure, we can plan in the best way possible. It won’t mean that it will always go the way we want, but at least we try to plan for it that way. I think there is more potential for us to put all the energy together for one main goal.”

Guerrieri, whose first podium in European racing came at Zolder in Formula Renault Eurocup in 2001, said returning to the Belgian track next weekend would be a challenge as it marks the start of a heavily condensed, Europe-only WTCR schedule.

“We haven’t planned yet since when there will be a team order or whatever might happen, but it’s a shorter season; very intense year, six events, so it’s going to be flat out and no time and no opportunities to waste.

“So I think this is the right way we approach this, being under one umbrella.”