LADA’s Nicky Catsburg flew to the fastest time in first practice for the World Touring Car Championship at the Moscow Raceway, ahead of Honda trio Norbert Michelisz, Rob Huff and Tiago Monteiro.
Catsburg followed up his encouraging pace in Friday testing, which he had ended in fourth, to top the times in the dry at LADA’s home event in Russia, ending up almost four tenths faster than Honda’s Michelisz.
Third-placed Huff was the only other driver to be within half a second of the leading Dutchman, ahead of Monteiro in fourth.
Polestar Cyan Racing’s Thed Björk put his Volvo in fifth to show encouraging pace on the team’s first-ever visit to Russia in anger, ahead of the other two LADA’s of Gabriele Tarquini and Hugo Valente in sixth and seventh respectively.
Eighth-placed John Filippi was the best-placed independent driver, and the Campos Racing man was the only other person to be within a second of the pace.
Neither of the works’ Citroën’s managed to crack the top ten, with Yvan Muller in 12th and reigning champion José María López in 15th. In fact, no C-Elysée drivers whatsoever were able to crack the top ten, with Muller the best placed of the quintet, some 1.4 seconds adrift.
Session results
| POS | NO | CL | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 10 | Nicky CATSBURG |  |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 12 | 1:38.549 | 0.000 | |
| 2 | 5 | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda Civic WTCC | 13 | 1:38.938 | 0.389 | |
| 3 | 12 | Rob HUFF |  |
Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda Civic WTCC | 13 | 1:39.013 | 0.464 | |
| 4 | 18 | Tiago MONTEIRO |  |
Honda Racing Team JAS | Honda Civic WTCC | 13 | 1:39.055 | 0.506 | |
| 5 | 62 | Thed BJÖRK |  |
Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo S60 WTCC | 13 | 1:39.107 | 0.558 | |
| 6 | 2 | Gabriele TARQUINI |  |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 12 | 1:39.177 | 0.628 | |
| 7 | 7 | Hugo VALENTE |  |
LADA Sport Rosneft | LADA Vesta WTCC | 13 | 1:39.411 | 0.862 | |
| 8 | 27 | T | John FILIPPI | |
Campos Racing | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 12 | 1:39.416 | 0.867 |
| 9 | 61 | Fredrik EKBLOM | |
Polestar Cyan Racing | Volvo S60 WTCC | 12 | 1:39.557 | 1.008 | |
| 10 | 9 | T | Tom CORONEL | |
ROAL Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 13 | 1:39.709 | 1.160 |
| 11 | 55 | T | Ferenc FICZA | |
Zengő Motorsport | Honda Civic WTCC | 14 | 1:39.777 | 1.228 |
| 12 | 68 | Yvan MULLER | |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 14 | 1:39.956 | 1.407 | |
| 13 | 15 | T | James THOMPSON | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Chevrolet RML Cruze TC1 | 14 | 1:40.039 | 1.490 |
| 14 | 25 | T | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 14 | 1:40.102 | 1.553 |
| 15 | 37 | José María LÓPEZ |  |
Citroën Total WTCC | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 14 | 1:40.282 | 1.733 | |
| 16 | 3 | T | Tom CHILTON | |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 12 | 1:40.486 | 1.937 |
| 17 | 11 | T | Grégoire DEMOUSTIER | |
Sébastien Loeb Racing | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | 13 | 1:40.925 | 2.376 |