The 2021 World Touring Car Cup was the fourth season of the World Touring Car Cup and 17th overall of the series, which dates back to the 2005 World Touring Car Championship. The season began on 5 June at the Nürburgring and ended on 28 November in Sochi.[1]
JAS Motorsport and Honda Racing retained their 2020 drivers – Attila Tassi, Tiago Monteiro, Néstor Girolami and Esteban Guerrieri – for the 2021 season. On 15 January it was announced that all four drivers would continue to compete for Münnich Motorsport and announced that Attila Tassi and Tiago Monteiro would join the ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport with Néstor Girolami and Esteban Guerrieri remaining at the ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport.[3]
Comtoyou Racing switched from the running Audi RS 3 LMS TCR to the all-new facelifted Audi RS 3 LMS TCR (2021). Nathanaël Berthon, Gilles Magnus and Tom Coronel remained with Comtoyou Racing and Frédéric Vervisch returned to the series and the team after having last raced in 2019.[6][5][7]
Cyan Racing committed to run four Lynk & Co 03 TCR cars for the season, Yann Ehrlacher and Yvan Muller were confirmed as drivers for Cyan Racing Lynk &Co and announced that Thed Björk and Santiago Urrutia were confirmed as drivers for Cyan Performance Lynk &Co.[4]
Hyundai switched from the running Hyundai i30 N TCR to the all-new Hyundai Elantra N TCR. BRC Racing Team entered under the BRC Hyundai N Lukoil Squadra Corse banner with two former champions in Norbert Michelisz and Gabriele Tarquini, while Engstler Motorsport entered the remaining two Hyundai cars under the Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team name for Luca Engstler and Jean-Karl Vernay, the latter having switched from Team Mulsanne to replace Nicky Catsburg. Target Competition joined full-time from the TCR Europe with Swedish siblings Andreas and Jessica Bäckman, who became the first woman to race in the championship. 2017 TCR Italy Touring Car Championship winner Nicola Baldan is also set to participate at selected rounds as a guest driver.[2][8][14]
The Zengő Motorsport structure continued at the WTCR and expanded to four Cupra León Competición TCR cars, running under two distinct banners. Bence Boldizs and Mikel Azcona remained with the team, with series returnees Jordi Gené, who had last taken part in the series in 2010, when it was called the World Touring Car Championship, and 2012 World Touring Car Championship & 2020 STCC TCR Scandinavia Touring Car Championship winner Robert Huff, who came back after a year's absence, joining them at Zengő Motorsport Drivers’ Academy and Zengő Motorsport Services KFT respectively.[10][11][12]
The preliminary race calendar was published by the championship management on 13 November 2020.[16] A change from previous years is that in 2021, for cost-cutting reasons, two races will be held on a weekend instead of three, and the series will return to the Asian continent after a year of omission.[17] On 22 January 2021, the calendar was updated, postponing the Race of Hungary to 21–22 August and replacing the Race of Slovakia with the Race of Italy.[18] On 10 May 2021, it was announced that the Race of Portugal would be held at the Circuito do Estoril instead of the Circuito Internacional de Vila Real.[19] On 19 August 2021, three new rounds were announced as replacements for the races in the Far East.[20]
Round | Race | Race Name | Circuit | Date | Supporting |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Race of Germany | Nürburgring Nordschleife | 3–5 June | Nürburgring 24 Hours |
2 | |||||
2 | 3 | Race of Portugal | Circuito do Estoril | 26–27 June[a] | |
4 | |||||
3 | 5 | Race of Spain | Ciudad del Motor de Aragón | 10–11 July | ETCR Championship |
6 | |||||
4 | 7 | Race of Hungary | Hungaroring | 21–22 August[b] | |
8 | |||||
5 | 9 | Race of Czech Republic | Autodrom Most | 9–10 October | FIM EWC |
10 | |||||
6 | 11 | Race of France | Circuit Pau-Arnos | 16–17 October | ETCR Championship |
12 | |||||
7 | 13 | Race of Italy | Adria International Raceway | 6–7 November[c] | |
14 | |||||
8 | 15 | Race of Russia | Sochi Autodrom | 27–28 November | |
16 |
Race name | Circuit | Original date |
---|---|---|
Race of Slovakia | Automotodróm Slovakia Ring | 22–23 May |
Race of Portugal | Circuito Internacional de Vila Real | 26–27 June |
Race of Korea | Inje Speedium | 16–17 October |
Race of China | Ningbo International Circuit | 6–7 November |
Race of Macau | Guia Circuit, Macau | 20–21 November |
Race | Race Name | Pole Position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | Junior winner | WTCR Trophy winner | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Race of Germany | Mikel Azcona | Tiago Monteiro | ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport | Gilles Magnus | Tom Coronel | Report | |
2 | Néstor Girolami | Jean-Karl Vernay | Jean-Karl Vernay | Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team | Luca Engstler | Gilles Magnus | ||
3 | Race of Portugal | Yann Ehrlacher | Yann Ehrlacher | Cyan Racing Lynk &Co | Gilles Magnus | Gilles Magnus | Report | |
4 | Esteban Guerrieri | Attila Tassi | Attila Tassi | ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport | Gilles Magnus | Gilles Magnus | ||
5 | Race of Spain | Gabriele Tarquini | Gabriele Tarquini | BRC Hyundai N Lukoil Squadra Corse | Gilles Magnus | Tom Coronel | Report | |
6 | Frédéric Vervisch | Frédéric Vervisch | Frédéric Vervisch | Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Gilles Magnus | Gilles Magnus | ||
7 | Race of Hungary | Frédéric Vervisch | Gilles Magnus | Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Gilles Magnus | Gilles Magnus | Report | |
8 | Robert Huff | Frédéric Vervisch | Santiago Urrutia | Cyan Performance Lynk &Co | Gilles Magnus | Gilles Magnus | ||
9 | Race of Czech Republic | Néstor Girolami | Néstor Girolami | ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Luca Engstler | Tom Coronel | Report | |
10 | Mikel Azcona | Mikel Azcona | Norbert Michelisz | BRC Hyundai N Lukoil Squadra Corse | Luca Engstler | Gilles Magnus | ||
11 | Race of France | Frédéric Vervisch | Frédéric Vervisch | Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Luca Engstler | Tom Coronel | Report | |
12 | Yvan Muller | Jean-Karl Vernay | Jean-Karl Vernay | Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team | Luca Engstler | Tom Coronel | ||
13 | Race of Italy | Tom Coronel | Santiago Urrutia | Cyan Performance Lynk &Co | Gilles Magnus | Tom Coronel | Report | |
14 | Yann Ehrlacher | Frédéric Vervisch | Yann Ehrlacher | Cyan Racing Lynk &Co | Gilles Magnus | Gilles Magnus | ||
15 | Race of Russia | Robert Huff | Mikel Azcona | Zengő Motorsport Services KFT | Gilles Magnus | Gilles Magnus | Report | |
16 | Yvan Muller | Robert Huff | Robert Huff | Zengő Motorsport Services KFT | Luca Engstler | Tom Coronel |
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Qualifying 1 &3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | |||||||||
Race | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | FL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Qualifying | 1 | — | ||||
Race | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
|
|
Pos. | Driver | GER |
PRT |
ESP |
HUN |
CZE |
FRA |
ITA |
RUS |
Pts. | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Luca Engstler | 17 | 21 | 121 | Ret | 131 | 8 | 112 | 15 | 121 | 7 | 91 | 11 | 152 | 10 | 132 | 10 | 372 |
2 | Gilles Magnus | 14 | 92 | 82 | 14 | 62 | 31 | 11 | 9 | NC | 9 | 14 | 17 | 71 | 31 | 31 | Ret | 371 |
3 | Bence Boldizs | 19 | 134 | 184 | 19 | DSQ3 | 16 | 174 | 19 | 142 | 13 | 162 | 19 | 183 | 16 | 173 | Ret | 250 |
4 | Jessica Bäckman | 21 | 143 | 163 | 16 | 194 | 17 | 203 | 21 | 131 | ||||||||
Pos. | Driver | GER |
PRT |
ESP |
HUN |
CZE |
FRA |
ITA |
RUS |
Pts. |
Eligible for drivers racing without manufacturer support.[21]
Pos. | Driver | GER |
PRT |
ESP |
HUN |
CZE |
FRA |
ITA |
RUS |
Pts. | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gilles Magnus | 14 | 9 | 8 | 141 | 6 | 31 | 1 | 91 | NC | 9 | 14 | 17 | 7 | 31 | 3 | Ret1 | 143 |
2 | Tom Coronel | 7 | 111 | 17 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 21 | 16 | 9 | 101 | 10 | 131 | 2 | Ret | 16 | 9 | 114 |
3 | Bence Boldizs | 19 | 13 | 18 | 19 | DSQ | 16 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 17 | Ret | 77 |
4 | Jessica Bäckman | 21 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 32 | ||||||||
5 | Andreas Bäckman | 20 | Ret | 15 | 17 | 16 | Ret | 19 | Ret | 27 | ||||||||
6 | Nicola Baldan | 19 | 18 | 8 | ||||||||||||||
Pos. | Driver | GER |
PRT |
ESP |
HUN |
CZE |
FRA |
ITA |
RUS |
Pts. |