Hyundai’s Tarquini hits out at strategy criticism and Lynk & Co performance

Hyundai Motorsport N team advisor Gabriele Tarquini has hit out at the recent criticism from rival teams on strategy related to compensation weight calculations and the performance level of Lynk & Co team Cyan Racing.

“We are not playing a strategy at this track, today’s result was 100% what we can reach from the car,” Tarquini told TouringCarTimes. “In the past we have played the strategy, because this is something the rules allow, which are there, and we play within them.”

The former WTCR champion had expected the BRC Hyundai team to be closer to their rivals at Vila Real as drivers Norbert Michelisz and Mikel Azcona only managed fifth and eighth positions in the qualifying session.

Instead, Tarquini questions the performance level of Lynk & Co outfit Cyan Racing which locked out the front row in qualifying for the first race.

“To be honest, I’m surprised about how the Lynk & Co can be so fast with 60 kilos more than us,” said Tarquini.

“This is a big question mark, because it has happened in the last three years when you have a street track like this, where the RPM are very low, even with 60 kilos compared to our car, they are accelerating much better and are very, very, strong.

“So this is my question mark and not the strategy. We are speaking about the rules and any person looking at the boost map can’t understand why there is a big difference in acceleration between the Lynk & Co and the rest of us.”

Münnich Motorsport driver Néstor Girolami voiced criticism after qualifying regarding the strategy by rival teams to set slower lap times in order to get a more favourable compensation weight, calling for a change to the regulations.

“Yeah, me too,” said Tarquini. “I’m not happy with this rules. But this is something not against us, as we are playing in these rules. It’s like you have a referee and 90 minutes to score a goal.

“We play on tactics, not on this track because we are slow, and much slower than what I expected, to be honest, but this is a question mark.”

Cyan Racing responded to the criticism from Hyundai and Tarquini, stating that it had full confidence in the process of the WSC, the TCR rights holders, regarding power and boost levels.

“The engine parameters are set and monitored by the WSC, based on the character of the base engines. We have full confidence in the process of the WSC related to this,” said a Cyan Racing spokesperson.