The final weekend of the 2019 FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) took place under both the lights and the rain at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia last weekend, providing the series with some of its best racing yet during the high-pressure finale.

With four wildcards competing alongside the regular field, the 2019 WTCR Race of Malaysia will go down as one of the most exciting race weekends of the year where both the Drivers title fight and the Teams title fight went down to the last race of the season. Whilst there were titles to be decided, this didn’t stop all of the drivers and teams trying to go out on a high.

After three exciting races, Norbert Michelisz has been crowned as the 2019 WTCR Driver’s Champion after finishing in fifth place in the final race of the year, whilst Cyan Racing Lynk & Co have secured their first WTCR Teams Title care of the performances from both Yvan Muller and Thed Björk.

Race One: Michelisz extends his lead with win number five of the year

Norbert Michelisz took a significant step towards claiming the 2019 WTCR title by keeping a cool head in mixed weather conditions to win the first race of the day.

The Hyundai driver converted his pole position into a flawless victory despite challenging weather conditions. He finished ahead of Aurélien Panis, who started second on the grid and claimed his first-ever WTCR podium finish. Esteban Guerrieri rose from ninth on the grid to finish fourth at the flag, while Yvan Muller tore through the field from sixteenth on the grid to finish sixth.

With changing weather conditions, the race started behind the safety car. After one lap behind the safety car, Michelisz and Panis made strong getaways to escape from the pack as the racing got underway. Gabriele Tarquini put his experience to good use as he rose from seventh on the grid to finish third, holding off Guerrieri.

Experienced wildcard driver João Paulo de Oliveira enjoyed a fantastic debut in his KC Motorgroup Honda to protect Guerrieri, coming from thirteenth on the grid to finish fifth, ahead of Muller. On his return to the series, PWR Racing’s Daniel Haglöf finished seventh, ahead of Johan Kristoffersson, Nicky Catsburg and Jean-Karl Vernay.

With Thed Björk finished down in twenty-seventh place, the Lynk & Co driver was the first to fall out of championship contention.

Race Two: Guerrieri wins to setup final race title thriller

With the race conditions worsening and contact during the first lap, causing a red flag, Esteban Guerrieri pushed hard to win the second race of the day to stay in the hunt for the driver’s title as Yvan Muller dropped out of contention.

The Münnich Motorsport driver started from ninth on the grid and made a strong start as he made his way towards the front. Team-mate Néstor Girolami took the lead from poleman Ma Qing Hua at the first turn, however, Guerrieri was in the lead by the time he entered the back straight. Meanwhile, drama and carnage ensued behind.

A number of drivers ran off the track at turn nine including Michelisz and Catsburg, however, the Dutchman had a scary retirement after contact with Muller damaged the Hyundai. The race was suspended after Catsburg’s car caught fire after returning to the circuit. Catsburg escaped without injury.

After almost an hour, the race was restarted with the drivers taking up the positions they held from sector two on the first lap. Catsburg’s team managed to repair the car but he was not allowed to take his place on the grid because he had received mechanical assistance under red flag conditions.

The new order at the start left Girolami and Guerrieri on the front row, with Muller in fifth on the grid, with title contender Michelisz down in thirteenth. From the restart, under lights and heavy rain, Girolami allowed Guerrieri through to a lead he would not lose.

Behind, there was plenty of action as Mikel Azcona and Kristoffersson battled hard for the podium positions and both men overcame Girolami to join Guerrieri on the podium, Kristoffersson having started from twenty-second on the grid. Kevin Ceccon finished fifth in his Alfa Romeo, ahead of Muller who was out of title contention ahead of the final race.

Yann Ehrlacher was seventh, ahead of Michelisz, Rob Huff and Benjamin Leuchter completing the top ten.

Race Three: Kristoffersson wins from 22nd on the grid as Norbi wins the title

Johan Kristoffersson pulled off an incredible win started from twenty-second on the grid as Norbert Michelisz clinched the 2019 WTCR Drivers title after a thrilling final race of the season

In what was the most exciting race of the season, Kristoffersson moved forward as Guerrieri tried to hold off the flying Azcona, hungry for another visit to the top step of the podium. As Michelisz fell back to fourth place, the Hyundai driver watched as Guerrieri, Azcona and Kristoffersson fought for the lead.

After a The safety car came out on lap two with Augusto Farfus beached his Hyundai in the gravel, the deciding moment of the series took place on lap five. Contact from Azcona saw the Münnich Motorsport Honda lose power with a suspected blocked radiator after forced a trip across the grass. This ended the Argentine’s shot at the title and handed the lead to Azcona as he fell to the back of the field

Guerrieri’s loss meant that Michelisz just had to finish the race to secure his first WTCR crown and the Hungarian fell to fifth place with teammate Tarquini playing rear gunner. Ahead of him Kristoffersson and Azcona were joined in the fight for the lead by Ceccon, who was looking to end the year with another podium finish.

Following another brief safety car interruption, due to the retirement of Gordon Shedden, the trio scrapped corner by corner until Kristoffersson took the lead from Azcona with an inspired outside pass at the last corner on lap eleven. Azcona chased him all the way to the chequered flag, with Ceccon completing the podium ahead of Vervisch and Michelisz.

Tarquini finished sixth, ahead of Girolami with KCMG Honda driver Tiago Monteiro, Thed Björk and Leuchter completing the top ten points places. With Volkswagen bowing out of the series to focus on a fully electric racing future, Kristoffersson continued the tradition of giving the German brand a winning exit.

Azcona was later given a thirty-second penalty by the stewards for his contact with Guerrieri, which promoted Vervisch to third, whilst Tarquini was also handed a thirty-second penalty post-race for two separate safety car infringements. On the first occasion, Tarquini was deemed to have slowed down excessively at turn fifteen, and secondly, he was also adjudged to have failed to maintain the appropriate distance to the car in front.

Two years after narrowly losing out on the last FIA World Touring Car Championship as a works Honda driver, Norbert Michelisz finally secured his first FIA World Cup title with the BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse squad.

Not a bad achievement when you consider he started his career as an online racing gamer and took his first WTCC win at Macau back in 2010…

The 2020 FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) gets underway with the WTCR Race of Morocco at the Circuit Moulay El Hassan during the first weekend in April. Before then, an interesting winter is ahead as the driver market is wide open.

Photo Credit: © Florent Gooden / DPPI