​Santiago Urrutia fastest Lynk & Co Cyan Racing driver in tough Estoril qualifying

The Lynk & Co 03 TCR driver was more than four tenths of a second from Esteban Guerrieri who headed a Honda 1-2-3 qualifying result.

"It was an ok result considering our Balance of Performance level, we are very slow on the straights due to this. So our goal was to reach the top ten and we have done so. Now the focus is on the races tomorrow where we need to score as much points as possible," said Santiago Urrutia.

Yvan Muller was eighth fastest with team-mate and reigning champion Yann Ehrlacher ninth fastest, meaning they will start third and second respectively in the first reversed grid race.

"It's not really a surprise that we are seventh, eighth, ninth and twelfth. We lose six km/h on the straights. But it is as it is. Even if we have one of the best cars in the field - with the current BoP, we could not have done much more than this," said Yvan Muller.

"It was a really tough qualifying and we had just enough to be in the top ten. Front row for the reversed grid is some consolation and we will try to score good points in that race. Ninth in the second race will be tougher as we won't have the straight-line speed to overtake. But we will as always fight hard," said Yann Ehrlacher.

There was no luck for Thed Björk who qualified 12th, a position he will start from in both races, recovering from a technical issue during the second practice session.

"I am very unhappy with 12th. The team did a great job to get my car back together after our issues in practice and we need to continue fighting hard for tomorrow. But I think there will be a lot of action in the races so that I can make up ground from the back of the grid," said Thed Björk.

The first race of the weekend starts at 12:15 local time tomorrow, both races are broadcast LIVE on Eurosport.

Results - FIA WTCR Race of Portugal

Schedule
Times in WEST (+1h CEST)
Sunday - June 27th
12:15 - Race 1 - 13 laps
15:15 - Race 2 - 15 laps

2021 FIA World Touring Car Cup calendar
03-05 June – Nürburgring Nordschleife – Germany
26-27 June – Estoril – Portugal
10-11 July – Motorland Aragon – Spain
31 July-1 August – Adria – Italy
21-22 August – Hungaroring – Hungary
16-17 October – Inje Speedium – South Korea
06-07 November – Ningbo – China
19-21 November – Circuito de Guia – Macau

Media contact information
Johan Meissner
Press Manager
Cyan Racing
+46(0)70 241 3234
johan.meissner@cyanracing.com

About Cyan Racing
Cyan Racing was founded in 1996 and was formerly named Polestar until Volvo Cars acquired the performance section and trademark in 2015. Cyan Racing is privately owned and operated. The team has claimed the last four touring car World titles, most recently the 2020 WTCR drivers' and teams' titles with Lynk & Co – and participated in the development of the Polestar performance models of the Volvo S60 and V60 in the years 2013 to 2015, including the concept models Volvo C30 and S60 Polestar Concept Prototype. The company launched the Volvo P1800 Cyan in 2020, Cyan Racing’s interpretation of the iconic Volvo sports car from the sixties.

About Lynk & Co
Lynk & Co was created to provide mobility solutions for the connected generation. We do make really, really good cars (the kind that have all the features you want without you having to ask for them), but we also offer a new way of using those cars. Our membership-based approach makes it simple to get on the go. Members can access a car on a flexible, month-to-month basis and share with friends, family, and the Lynk & Co community.