Yann Ehrlacher on team orders: “It hurts”

Santiago Urrutia claimed his second victory of the 2022 FIA WTCR season in Race 1 at Vila Real, winning under controversial circumstances ahead of team-mate Yann Ehrlacher.

Urrutia started from the pole position ahead of Ehrlacher, positions that were kept as the lights went to green.

The joker lap was opened on lap three, with Urrutia taking his turn on the following lap while Ehrlacher remained out.

“The joker lap was ok for me, I came in calmly when it was decided by the strategy, and I don’t know why Yann didn’t come in,” Urrutia told TouringCarTimes. “I went full on to build a gap against Girolami.”

Ehrlacher took his joker lap on lap five after building a large enough gap to claim the lead from Urrutia. The Frenchman was later told to give the position back by the team.

“Yann got ahead of me, but there was a strategy to follow and it worked perfectly as we finished 1-2. Yesterday we had another 1-2 result in the qualifying, and I’m very happy for the team to be able to score these points,” explained Urrutia about the move.

“The team strategy was to put Cyan in positions one and two, and it worked,” added a disappointed Ehrlacher. “I cannot comment much more on this and I hope that was the right call for the rest of the season and that it will pay in the end. But it hurts.”

Urrutia has never before raced at the Vila Real street circuit, with the Uruguayan being the top scorer of the weekend so far:

“I’m very happy and grateful to the team for a great car, also to my team-mates, the engineers and everybody who make it possible. Now I have to focus on Race 2, I start from the tenth place on the grid which is where all the incidents take place, so I must be careful.”