Hyundai driver Norbert Michelisz posted the fastest time in first practice for the third FIA World Touring Car Cup event of the year at the Slovakiaring, edging out the Alfa Romeo of Ma Qing Hua.
BRC Racing’s Michelisz set the quickest lap of 2 minutes 11.012 seconds within the first few minutes of the session, with the Hungarian remaining at the top of the times thereafter in a relatively quiet 45-minute session.
Team Mulsanne’s Ma made a late improvement to go second with just four minutes remaining, the Chinese driver ending up just 0.033 seconds adrift at a circuit where the Italian cars enjoyed an upturn in form last year.
Comtoyou Racing’s Tom Coronel was the leading CUPRA in third after a last-minute improvement, ahead of the PWR Racing CUPRA of Daniel Haglöf in fourth.
Dutchman Niels Langeveld was the best Audi driver in fifth, and the Comtoyou Racing driver had been set to go even quicker on his last lap, with a fastest of all first sector before the session ended with yellow flags at Turn 3.
Kevin Ceccon made it two Alfa Romeo Giuliettas inside the top ten in sixth, ahead of the leading Honda of KCMG’s Tiago Monteiro in seventh, the Portuguese having improved from outside the top twenty within the final five minutes.
WRT’s Jean-Karl Vernay was eighth, whilst the Honda of Esteban Guerrieri and the Hyundai of Gabriele Tarquini rounded out the top ten, the latter having also posted his best time on his first run, ending up almost a second away from his team-mate.
Nicky Catsburg was just behind his BRC team-mate in 11th, with the Dutchman being the last driver to be within a second of the pace.
None of the Volkswagen Golf GTi cars cracked the top ten, with 15th placed Benjamin Leuchter the best of the SLR drivers.
Also missing out on the top 20 were all four Lynk & Co drivers, with Yann Ehrlacher the best placed in 22nd, some 2.221 seconds off the pace.
Second practice gets underway at 11:30 CEST (10:30 BST) followed by both qualifying for race one and races two and three later on Friday (13:45 CEST and 16:40 CEST respectively).
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 5 | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 13 | 2:11.012 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 55 | Ma QING HUA |  |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 16 | 2:11.045 | 0.033 |
| 3 | 50 | Tom CORONEL |  |
Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA Racing | CUPRA TCR | 14 | 2:11.149 | 0.137 |
| 4 | 37 | Daniel HAGLÖF |  |
PWR Racing | CUPRA TCR | 13 | 2:11.290 | 0.278 |
| 5 | 10 | Niels LANGEVELD | |
Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 12 | 2:11.442 | 0.430 |
| 6 | 31 | Kevin CECCON |  |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 15 | 2:11.644 | 0.632 |
| 7 | 18 | Tiago MONTEIRO |  |
KCMG | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 14 | 2:11.714 | 0.702 |
| 8 | 69 | Jean-Karl VERNAY |  |
Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 14 | 2:11.921 | 0.909 |
| 9 | 86 | Esteban GUERRIERI |  |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 14 | 2:11.947 | 0.935 |
| 10 | 1 | Gabriele TARQUINI | |
BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 12 | 2:11.985 | 0.973 |
| 11 | 88 | Nicky CATSBURG | |
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 14 | 2:12.003 | 0.991 |
| 12 | 22 | Frédéric VERVISCH |  |
Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 13 | 2:12.070 | 1.058 |
| 13 | 29 | Néstor GIROLAMI | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 15 | 2:12.072 | 1.060 |
| 14 | 96 | Mikel AZCONA |  |
PWR Racing | CUPRA TCR | 14 | 2:12.097 | 1.085 |
| 15 | 33 | Benjamin LEUCHTER |  |
SLR Volkswagen | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 13 | 2:12.174 | 1.162 |
| 16 | 21 | Aurélien PANIS | |
Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA Racing | CUPRA TCR | 15 | 2:12.215 | 1.203 |
| 17 | 9 | Attila TASSI | |
KCMG | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 13 | 2:12.260 | 1.248 |
| 18 | 8 | Augusto FARFUS |  |
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 15 | 2:12.365 | 1.353 |
| 19 | 25 | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
SLR VW Motorsport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 15 | 2:12.537 | 1.525 |
| 20 | 52 | Gordon SHEDDEN |  |
Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 14 | 2:12.542 | 1.530 |
| 21 | 12 | Rob HUFF | |
SLR VW Motorsport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 12 | 2:13.209 | 2.197 |
| 22 | 68 | Yann EHRLACHER | |
Cyan Performance Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 12 | 2:13.233 | 2.221 |
| 23 | 6 | Luca ENGSTLER | |
Hyundai Team Engstler | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 13 | 2:13.261 | 2.249 |
| 24 | 100 | Yvan MULLER | |
Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 14 | 2:13.589 | 2.577 |
| 25 | 14 | Johan KRISTOFFERSSON | |
SLR Volkswagen | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 13 | 2:14.022 | 3.010 |
| 26 | 111 | Andy PRIAULX | |
Cyan Performance Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 13 | 2:14.644 | 3.632 |
| 27 | 11 | Thed BJÖRK | |
Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 13 | 2:14.854 | 3.842 |