Honda’s Gabriele Tarquini set the pace in Friday testing for the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) at the Shanghai International Circuit, ahead of Zengő Motorsport’s Norbert Michelisz.
Tarquini shot to the top of the times in the closing minutes of the session to end up just 0.049 seconds faster than the independent Civic of Michelisz, who was equally quick at the end of the session.
Championship leader José María López was third fastest, one tenth off the pace, ahead of Citroën team-mate and title rival Yvan Muller.
Nicky Catsburg was the top LADA driver in fifth, ahead of the independent Sébastien Loeb Racing C-Elysée of Mehdi Bennani in sixth, who had been quickest at the half-way stage in the session.
ROAL Motorsport’s Tom Chilton was the leading Chevrolet driver in seventh and the only driver of the RML-built machinery to crack the top ten, ahead of LADA’s Rob Huff in eighth.
Local driver Ma Qing Hua and his Citroën team-mate Sébastien Loeb completed the top ten, with both drivers over half a second off the pace.
The second works’ Honda of Tiago Monteiro was 13th fastest, with the Japan race two winner more than a second slower than his team-mate.
Nika Racing’s Rickard Rydell did not set a time in the session, his first outing in the championship since France in June.
Session results
| POS | NO | CL | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 2 | Gabriele TARQUINI |  |
Castrol Honda WTC Team | Honda Civic WTCC | 10 | 1:51.222 | 0.000 | |
| 2 | 5 | Y | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
Zengő Motorsport | Honda Civic WTCC | 10 | 1:51.271 | 0.049 |
| 3 | 37 | José María LÓPEZ |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 10 | 1:51.333 | 0.111 | |
| 4 | 68 | Yvan MULLER |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 11 | 1:51.543 | 0.321 | |
| 5 | 10 | Nick CATSBURG |  |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 13 | 1:51.545 | 0.323 | |
| 6 | 25 | Y | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 11 | 1:51.674 | 0.452 |
| 7 | 3 | Y | Tom CHILTON |  |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 8 | 1:51.674 | 0.452 |
| 8 | 12 | Rob HUFF | |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 12 | 1:51.678 | 0.456 | |
| 9 | 33 | MA Qing Hua |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 11 | 1:51.818 | 0.596 | |
| 10 | 9 | Sébastien LOEB | |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 11 | 1:51.822 | 0.600 | |
| 11 | 27 | Y | John FILIPPI | |
Campos Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 11 | 1:51.881 | 0.659 |
| 12 | 7 | Y | Hugo VALENTE | |
Campos Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 11 | 1:52.209 | 0.987 |
| 13 | 18 | Tiago MONTEIRO |  |
Castrol Honda WTC Team | Honda Civic WTCC | 10 | 1:52.336 | 1.114 | |
| 14 | 47 | Nicolas LAPIERRE | |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 12 | 1:52.536 | 1.314 | |
| 15 | 4 | Y | Tom CORONEL | |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 6 | 1:52.950 | 1.728 |
| 16 | 11 | Y | Grégoire DEMOUSTIER | |
Craft-Bamboo Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 13 | 1:53.782 | 2.560 |
| 17 | 26 | Y | Stefano D’ASTE | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 13 | 1:54.996 | 3.774 |