Münnich Motorsport’s Néstor Girolami scored his second consecutive pole position in the FIA World Touring Car Cup, taking the top time at Anneau du Rhin by just 0.026 seconds from Comtoyou Racing’s Nathanaël Berthon.
Girolami edged out Berthon in Q3, having also been quickest of all in the preceding Q2 session. In Q1, with the knowledge that all drivers would automatically progress due to the reduced field after Cyan Racing’s withdrawal, the pace had been two tenths slower still.
In the end, Q1 pace-setter Berthon was Girolami’s closest challenger, holding the top spot for a few minutes near the end of the session but being beaten at the last by Honda’s Girolami, who had been the last to take to the track.
“It was insane – I have been doing the maximum of what we can achieve,” said Girolami. “It was helping that it is getting colder – to be last in Q3 – so we knew already that the track temperature was going down and that the lap times will improve, so we took everything.
“More was impossible – the last chicane was absolutely on the limit. We are on pole again and so I am very happy for the team.”
BRC Racing’s Mikel Azcona was the best Hyundai driver in third, ahead of the second Münnich Honda of Esteban Guerrieri in fourth.
Gilles Magnus completed the Q3 quintet, having lapped the French circuit four tenths of a second slower than Girolami.
Team Engstler’s Tiago Monteiro had one of his best qualifying showings of the year, putting his Honda in sixth and missing out on Q3 by just half a tenth.
Comtoyou’s Tom Coronel was seventh, ahead of the Hyundai of Norbert Michelisz in eighth.
Zengő Motorsport’s Rob Huff and Comtoyou’s Mehdi Bennani were ninth and tenth respectively, giving the duo the reverse-grid front row for the second race on Sunday.
Team Engstler’s Attila Tassi had been eighth in Q1, but the Hungarian dropped to 11th in Q2, with compatriot Dániel Nagy completing the times, the Zengő driver ending slowest in both sessions.
Q3 results
| POS | NO | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 29 |  |
Néstor GIROLAMI | ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 3 | 1:26.546 | – |
| 2 | 17 |  |
Nathanaël BERTHON | Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021 | 3 | 1:26.572 | 0.026 |
| 3 | 96 |  |
Mikel AZCONA | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 3 | 1:26.618 | 0.072 |
| 4 | 86 | |
Esteban GUERRIERI | ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 3 | 1:26.848 | 0.302 |
| 5 | 16 |  |
Gilles MAGNUS | Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021 | 3 | 1:26.942 | 0.396 |
Q2 results
| POS | NO | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 29 | |
Néstor GIROLAMI | ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 5 | 1:26.866 | – |
| 2 | 86 | |
Esteban GUERRIERI | ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 4 | 1:26.900 | 0.034 |
| 3 | 96 | |
Mikel AZCONA | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 5 | 1:26.900 | 0.034 |
| 4 | 17 | |
Nathanaël BERTHON | Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021 | 6 | 1:27.124 | 0.258 |
| 5 | 16 | |
Gilles MAGNUS | Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021 | 5 | 1:27.186 | 0.320 |
| 6 | 18 |  |
Tiago MONTEIRO | Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 6 | 1:27.263 | 0.397 |
| 7 | 33 |  |
Tom CORONEL | Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021 | 6 | 1:27.272 | 0.406 |
| 8 | 5 |  |
Norbert MICHELISZ | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 5 | 1:27.295 | 0.429 |
| 9 | 79 |  |
Rob HUFF | Zengő Motorsport Services Kft | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 6 | 1:27.392 | 0.526 |
| 10 | 25 |  |
Mehdi BENNANI | Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021 | 6 | 1:27.439 | 0.573 |
| 11 | 9 | |
Attila TASSI | Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 6 | 1:27.473 | 0.607 |
| 12 | 99 | |
Dániel NAGY | Zengő Motorsport Services Kft | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 7 | 1:27.976 | 1.110 |
Q1 results
| POS | NO | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 17 | |
Nathanaël BERTHON | Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021 | 7 | 1:27.030 | – |
| 2 | 79 | |
Rob HUFF | Zengő Motorsport Services Kft | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 10 | 1:27.397 | 0.367 |
| 3 | 96 | |
Mikel AZCONA | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 8 | 1:27.428 | 0.398 |
| 4 | 18 | |
Tiago MONTEIRO | Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 6 | 1:27.530 | 0.500 |
| 5 | 5 | |
Norbert MICHELISZ | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 8 | 1:27.543 | 0.513 |
| 6 | 16 | |
Gilles MAGNUS | Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021 | 4 | 1:27.590 | 0.560 |
| 7 | 29 | |
Néstor GIROLAMI | ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 6 | 1:27.597 | 0.567 |
| 8 | 9 | |
Attila TASSI | Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 5 | 1:27.656 | 0.626 |
| 9 | 33 | |
Tom CORONEL | Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021 | 6 | 1:27.773 | 0.743 |
| 10 | 25 | |
Mehdi BENNANI | Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR 2021 | 9 | 1:27.926 | 0.896 |
| 11 | 86 | |
Esteban GUERRIERI | ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 6 | 1:27.964 | 0.934 |
| 12 | 99 | |
Dániel NAGY | Zengő Motorsport Services Kft | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 10 | 1:28.136 | 1.106 |