Norbert Michelisz

Norbert Michelisz and the MOL Group Zengő Motorsport team had high hopes for today's Qualifying session at Slovakia Ring. But these hopes were dashed already in Q1 when the No. 5 Honda Civic WTCC was not able to match the speed of the frontrunners. In the end, Norbert finished in 13th and missed out on the top 10 spot on the grid for the WTCC Race of Slovakia he was looking for, a mere 0.193 seconds lacking to make the cut for Q2.

"It was a very strange qualifying for us", Norbert says. "I just do not know what happened. I had two really good laps. The feeling I had was okay. But the lap-time just was not there. It is difficult to say something after P13 and not making it into Q2. But this is how it is. We have to find a solution for tomorrow, this is for sure."

Norbert, however, was not the only Honda driver to struggle with just Honda works driver Gabriele Tarquini earning a spot within the top 10. And Tiago Monteiro and Néstor Girolami fared even worse than Norbert, classifying themselves in 17th and 18th respectively. Most likely this is due to the heavy compensation weight all Honda cars are carrying at Slovakia, enabling others to shine while hampering the Honda drivers massively at the same time. But Norbert and the MOL Group Zengő Motorsport team have shown in the past that by race-day they are in top shape again. So watch out for the No. 5 Honda Civic on its way into the points on Sunday!

Results Qualifying (Top 5)
01. Yvan Muller (Citroën) – 2:03,736 minutes
02. José María López (Citroën) – 2:03,959
03. Sébastien Loeb (Citroën) – 2:04,583
04. Rob Huff (Lada) – 2:04,598
05. Nick Catsburg (Lada) – 2:04.905
...
13. Norbert Michelisz (Honda) – 2:05,659

Source: zengomotorsport.hu