Confusion in Pau

If the Marrakech race did not excite the crowds, the Pau round of the world touring car championship never ceases to surprise. It all started in qualifying with the domination of the BMW 320si and Andy Priaulx's pole ahead of Augusto Farfus. Far from the lead, the Seat Leon TDi of Rydell, Gene, Tarquini and Muller are stuck in Q1 and only placed between 15th and 18th place. Astonishment in the Béarn stands but not in the ranks of the Spanish team, which sees itself deprived of power with the restriction imposed on the turbos of its cars. Following this calamitous day, Seat Sport even officially expressed its indignation, considering itself wronged by a regulation which only aims to reduce the performance of the Leon TDi. As proof, the good behavior of the Leon TFSI, which is ahead of the TDi with in particular the third place of Coronel.

But it's not over, with the decision of the race stewards following qualifying. After a technical inspection carried out on the engine revs and the air pressure overload for the diesel engines, nine cars were stripped of their best time from Saturday. This is how the best times of Yvan Muller, Andy Priaulx, Sergio Hernandez, Alain Menu, Robert Huff, Nicolas Larini, Tom Coronel, Félix Portero and Stefano d'Aste were canceled for non-compliance with the engine speed. The entire starting grid is therefore turned upside down, with pole position going to Augusto Farfus ahead of Jorg Muller and Franz Engstler. There is no doubt that at Seat, which sees this sanction as a double punishment, the annoyance will begin to reach the limit of tolerance of the drivers with regard to the decisions of the FIA. Sunday in Béarn promises to be very hectic.