Honda’s Gabriele Tarquini posted the fastest time in Friday testing for the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) around Circuit Paul Ricard in France, ahead of Citroën’s Ma Qing Hua and Honda team-mate Tiago Monteiro.
Tarquini went fastest in the closing minutes of the session, benefitting from a reduction in compensation weight on his Honda Civic, which is down from 60 kg in Slovakia to just 20 kg this weekend.
Ma was just 0.112 seconds behind in second, having led the times for much of the half-hour duration. Monteiro was third quickest, improving in the second half of the session.
Citroën’s championship leader José María López was fourth, three tenths off the pace, having topped the session early on.
The top LADA was Rob Huff in fifth, with the Brit 0.806 seconds off the pace in his first session in the compensation weight-carrying LADA Vesta, ahead of Sébastien Loeb’s Citroën in sixth.
Nicky Catsburg was seventh for LADA, whilst the top ten was completed by Zengő Motorsport’s Norbert Michelisz, Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Mehdi Bennani and Campos Racing’s Hugo Valente, who was the top Chevrolet driver in tenth.
Championship contender Yvan Muller could only muster up the 12th fastest time, 1.257 seconds off the pace in his Citroën.
Session results
| POS | NO | CL | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 2 | Gabriele TARQUINI |  |
Castrol Honda WTC Team | Honda Civic WTCC | 13 | 1:30.227 | 0.000 | |
| 2 | 33 | MA Qing Hua |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 15 | 1:30.339 | 0.112 | |
| 3 | 18 | Tiago MONTEIRO |  |
Castrol Honda WTC Team | Honda Civic WTCC | 11 | 1:30.425 | 0.198 | |
| 4 | 37 | José María LÓPEZ |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 10 | 1:30.607 | 0.380 | |
| 5 | 12 | Rob HUFF |  |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 13 | 1:31.033 | 0.806 | |
| 6 | 9 | Sébastien LOEB |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 16 | 1:31.146 | 0.919 | |
| 7 | 10 | Nick CATSBURG |  |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 14 | 1:31.160 | 0.933 | |
| 8 | 5 | Y | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
Zengő Motorsport | Honda Civic WTCC | 12 | 1:31.257 | 1.030 |
| 9 | 25 | Y | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 13 | 1:31.269 | 1.042 |
| 10 | 7 | Y | Hugo VALENTE | |
Campos Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 9 | 1:31.470 | 1.243 |
| 11 | 3 | Y | Tom CHILTON | |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 9 | 1:31.476 | 1.249 |
| 12 | 68 | Yvan MULLER | |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 12 | 1:31.484 | 1.257 | |
| 13 | 19 | Rickard RYDELL |  |
Nika International | Honda Civic WTCC | 13 | 1:31.616 | 1.389 | |
| 14 | 11 | Y | Grégoire DEMOUSTIER | |
Craft-Bamboo Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 15 | 1:31.877 | 1.650 |
| 15 | 46 | Jaap VAN LAGEN | |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 14 | 1:31.934 | 1.707 | |
| 16 | 4 | Y | Tom CORONEL | |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 12 | 1:32.389 | 2.162 |
| 17 | 26 | Y | Stefano D’ASTE | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 14 | 1:32.531 | 2.304 |
| 18 | 27 | John FILIPPI | |
Campos Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 12 | 1:32.532 | 2.305 |