BRC Racing’s Norbert Michelisz scored a lights-to-flag victory in the opening FIA TCR World Tour race at Monza, as several drivers suffered from punctures at the high-speed circuit.
At the start, Michelisz came under pressure from the fast-starting SP Compétition CUPRA of Aurélien Comte, who passed Mikel Azcona away from the lights.
Further back, Cyan Racing’s Ma Qing Hua hit the back of SP Compétition’s John Filippi at the chicane, knocking the CUPRA into the back of ALM Motorsport’s Ruben Volt, who spun in front of the pack but avoided further contact.
Filippi and Ma retired to the pits, whilst Volt was able to continue down in 16th place and last.
At the front, Michelisz came under heavy pressure from Comte for the first three laps, but Comte went wide on lap four and at the end of the lap picked up a front-left puncture, forcing his retirement from the race.
That promoted Azcona back into second, albeit only for two laps before the Hyundai driver also picked up a puncture and had to limp to the pits for replacement front-left rubber.
Cyan Racing’s Yann Ehrlacher was thus the biggest beneficiary and able to assume second, although by this stage the Frenchman was over two seconds adrift of Michelisz.
Although Michelisz backed off towards the end of the race, the 40-year-old held on to score his first win of the season ahead of Ehrlacher, with Thed Björk completing the podium.
GOAT Racing’s Ignacio Montenegro was fourth, ahead of team-mate Esteban Guerrieri in fifth, the latter having come from 15th on the grid in a race of attrition. Guerrieri passed Argentine compatriot Néstor Girolami for fifth on the penultimate lap of the race, with Girolami thus finishing in sixth.
Wildcard racer Damiano Reduzzi was seventh, ahead of fellow Italian Jacopo Cimenes in eighth.
The top ten was completed by MA:GP’s Viktor Andersson and the recovering Azcona.
Leonel Pernía had looked set to finish in seventh before the ALM Motorsport driver also had a puncture and dropped to 12th on his TCR World Tour début, whilst Volt was 13th after also suffering a puncture.
Cyan Racing’s Santiago Urrutia retired after five laps with an issue on his Lynk & Co, crawling back to the pits at slow speed.
A victory for Michelisz elevates him from ninth in the drivers’ standings to fifth, 78 points behind leader Ehrlacher (183 points). Guerrieri remain second (163) and Urrutia third (150).
Race two takes place at 11:40 CEST (10:40 BST) on Sunday.
Race result
| POS | NO | CL | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 105 |  |
Norbert MICHELISZ | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 11 | 21:30.593 | 1:55.742 | 1 | |
| 2 | 168 |  |
Yann EHRLACHER | Lynk & Co Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 11 | 1.697 | 1:56.201 | 4 | |
| 3 | 111 |  |
Thed BJÖRK | Lynk & Co Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 11 | 1.988 | 1:56.114 | 7 | |
| 4 | 123 |  |
Ignacio MONTENEGRO | GOAT Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 11 | 3.104 | 1:56.516 | 9 | |
| 5 | 186 | |
Esteban GUERRIERI | GOAT Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 11 | 3.462 | 1:56.579 | 15 | |
| 6 | 129 | |
Néstor GIROLAMI | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 11 | 4.105 | 1:56.722 | 10 | |
| 7 | 81 |  |
Damiano REDUZZI | Team Trico WRT | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 11 | 13.712 | 1:57.115 | 17 | |
| 8 | 82 | |
Jacopo CIMENES | MM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 11 | 28.825 | 1:56.958 | 11 | |
| 9 | 10 | |
Viktor ANDERSSON | MA:GP | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 11 | 58.198 | 1:57.709 | 18 | |
| 10 | 196 |  |
Mikel AZCONA | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 11 | 1:38.545 | 1:55.982 | 2 | |
| 11 | 11 | |
Marco BUTTI | GOAT Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 11 | 1:43.580 | 1:56.260 | 16 | |
| 12 | 44 | |
Leonel PERNÍA | ALM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 10 | + 1 LAP | 1:56.770 | 13 | |
| 13 | 27 |  |
Ruben VOLT | ALM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 10 | + 1 LAP | 1:56.462 | 6 | |
| 14 | 19 | |
Felipe FERNÁNDEZ Gil | GOAT Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 8 | + 3 LAPS | 1:56.810 | 12 | |
| R | 112 |  |
Santiago URRUTIA | Lynk & Co Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 5 | DNF | 1:56.256 | 5 | |
| R | 107 | |
Aurélien COMTE | SP Compétition | CUPRA Leon VZ TCR | 4 | DNF | 1:55.581 | 3 | |
| R | 155 |  |
MA Qing Hua | Lynk & Co Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 1 | DNF | N/A | 14 | |
| R | 127 | |
John FILIPPI | SP Compétition | CUPRA Leon VZ TCR | 1 | DNF | N/A | 8 |