Review: Round 3 – Paul Ricard

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing enjoyed another winning weekend in the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour with Mikel Azcona charging to victory from pole position in the first of two races at Circuit Paul Ricard.

After winning the opening race of the season in Italy, Azcona’s BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse team-mate, Norbert Michelisz, rounded out the podium in southern France having started from third on the grid.

There was more success for the Hyundai Elantra N TCR drivers in Race 2 when Azcona came through from eighth on the partial-reversed grid to finish fourth, after passing four cars on the opening lap, with Michelisz taking seventh place for more important points. 

As a result, Azcona climbs to second in the provisional Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Drivers’ standings – six points adrift of first place – with Michelisz up to third, 26 points further back, while BRC Hyundai Squadra Corse has closed up in the Teams’ standings.

While Spaniard Azcona led Race 1 from lights to flag, fending off rival Yann Ehrlacher’s close attentions throughout, Michelisz dropped to fourth on the opening lap as he took avoiding action through the first corner. But the Hungarian reclaimed third place at Turn 1 on lap four, a position he maintained to the finish on Circuit Paul Ricard’s 3.841-kilometre layout.

For Azcona, the result was the perfect payback after he was denied a seemingly certain victory through tyre damage in the closing stages of Race 1 at Valencia last month. It was the second win of the season for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse and Azcona’s first since he triumphed at Inje, Hyundai’s home event, last October.

Having carried 40 kilograms of compensation weight in Spain, Azcona’s Hyundai Elantra N TCR was 30 kilograms lighter in France. Nevertheless, Azcona still had to combine speed and tyre preservation to perfection due to the high ambient and track temperatures. Michelisz, meanwhile, was saddled with 20 kilograms of added weight but performed strongly in both races despite the added load.

Azcona, Michelisz and BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse will be back in action in less than seven days when the spectacular and challenging Vila Real street circuit in northern Portugal hosts round four of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour season from July 9-12.

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Benoît Nogier said:

Congratulations to Mikel, Norbi and everyone at BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse for another fantastic weekend. Mikel’s victory from pole position was a further demonstration of his ability and the performance of the Hyundai Elantra N TCR. It’s also the perfect example of why you should never stop pushing, even when faced with great disappointment, which was unfortunately the case for Mikel in Valencia when he lost out on a deserved and almost certain win through no fault of his own. Norbi also did a great job this weekend, fighting back to reclaim third place in Race 1 and scoring more points in Race 2. As unlikely as it sounds, we’re actually pleased that Mikel heads to Vila Real next weekend carrying 40 kilograms of compensation weight because it means he’s scored so many points at Paul Ricard after doing such a great job along with the team. Even though we will face a challenging event in Portugal, I have every confidence that we can continue the momentum that’s been building since pre-season and achieve more success ahead of the summer break.

Driver Notes: #196 Mikel Azcona (ESP), Hyundai Elantra N TCR

• Converted his second pole position of the 2026 Kumho TCR World Tour season into a first victory of the campaign in Race 1
• Led opening contest from start to finish and completed the weekend by moving up from eighth to fourth in Race 2 after overtaking four cars on the opening lap
• Azcona’s weekend haul of 65 points puts him second in the title chase, just six points behind the leader
   

Azcona said: “After what happened in Valencia when we were leading the race only to suffer a puncture so close to the end, this victory feels even better. It was a mega job by the team, but the start was maybe the key to the race because I managed to do a very good launch to keep the first position at the first corner. From this point I tried to manage the front-left tyre because the conditions were very demanding. The driver behind was pushing quite hard, so I had to push also to defend my position. With three laps to go we decided to slow down just a little bit to finish the race. It was very hot, and I was also so happy that Norbi was on the podium in P3. I started Race 2 in P8 and finished P4 after overtaking four cars on the first lap. I was trying to attack the driver in front, but he was not easy to overtake, and I also had to defend from behind. My front-left tyre got very hot, and I could feel the understeer. Sometimes there are more chances to lose so I did not do any crazy things and finished P4. We scored 65 points during the weekend, so it was very positive and thank you to the team. It’s a street race next and very soon we’ll have to think about that.”

Driver Notes: #105 Norbert Michelisz (HUN), Hyundai Elantra N TCR

• Swift work from BRC Hyundai Squadra Corse ensured Michelisz could take up his place in Q2 after a steering fault developed in Q1
• The Hungarian driver rewarded his team’s effort by qualifying and then finishing third in Race 1
• Points scored during the weekend have boosted BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse’s bid for the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Teams’ title while also putting Michelisz in contention for the Drivers’ crown
   

Michelisz said: “I’m very happy, I finished P3 and P7 and collected a lot of points, which is always the target. P3 in Race 1 was a decent result after qualifying did not go so smoothly. But the team did a fantastic job to get me out for Q2 and I told them I owe them a huge thank you. When I was sitting in the car watching them make the repairs, I said to myself I would have signed for this result. It’s an amazing team with amazing people and I’m really happy. I’m also really happy for Mikel because he really deserved his victory after doing an amazing job. We have very good momentum for the next race, and I hope we can keep this going.”