Norbert Michelisz says Macau qualifying a true gauge on pace

FIA TCR World Tour leader Norbert Michelisz has admitted his run to fourth place in qualifying for the Macau season-finale is a representative image of performance around the Guia street track.

Michelisz continues to lead the World Tour standings after Friday’s qualifying session in the Chinese Special Administrative Region, but saw Lynk & Co Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk eat into his advantage courtesy of pole position and now sits just ten points clear of the Swede heading into Saturday’s first race of the weekend.

Michelisz said there was not a lot more potential to find in his BRC Hyundai Elantra, at least in qualifying trim, although the full picture of relative performance remains slightly skewed by the changeable weather experienced in Macau throughout the event so far.

“Q1 was not easy,” said Michelisz as he detailed his qualifying outcome. “It started to rain as we started the session, and I did my best just to avoid the walls. It was tricky to be on the right tyre and then towards the end the circuit began to dry up. I managed to get into Q2 and had a couple of good laps. I did my absolute best, and in the end I have to be happy with P4. There were no mistakes, it was more or less the potential of what I had, and I feel we are in a decent position for both races.”

Michelisz, who sealed last year’s World Tour title in Macau 12 months ago, is vying for his third international touring car crown this weekend. The Hungarian first took home championship honours in 2019 before repeating the feat again in 2023.

He will start behind pole-sitter Björk, BRC Hyundai team-mate Mikel Azcona and Lynk & Co Cyan Racing’s Yann Ehrlacher in Race 1 of the weekend on Saturday. All four drivers remain in championship contention.