Chilton wasn't really 'flying' in the way he would have wanted to be - Photo Credit: WTCC Media
Team Aon driver Tom Chilton remains in positive spirits despite a difficult Saturday at the WTCC Race of Hungary.
Series newcomers Aon had showed strong pace with Chilton and teammate James Nash in the two previous events in Morocco and Slovakia, but struggled for pace during free practice at the Hungaroring, with the two British drivers propping up the timesheets in the second session.
Both drivers made setup changes before qualifying, and the changes made by Nash allowed him to sneak into Q2 and qualify in 12th place for both of Sunday's races. That was after his car had to be heavily repaired in the Hungaroring pitlane after a bruising encounter at Slovakia less than a week ago.
“Firstly the team have done an amazing job to get my car ready as it had to be re-shelled after the damage at Slovakia,” said Nash. “They've basically had to build a new car in the pit garage here in Hungary and it has been completely reliable.
“To get through to Q2 today was an unexpected bonus and has been a great reward for the guys after all the hard work they've put in. But of course, we've still got work to do, this is a new track for the car and driver and we are still learning.”
Chilton could only manage 21st, but was still in a good mood.
“Obviously I'm disappointed with the performance today, but I'm still smiling,” he said. “It's my first time here at the Hungaroring and I love the circuit and there's a great atmosphere here with loads of fans, so it's not all bad!”
Chilton explained that Nash's performance would help him to try and get on top of his own setup problems during the Sunday morning warm-up session.
“Basically I suffered today as we've never run the new suspension at a track with high kerbs and we're still having to learn a lot about the set-up. We've had no testing to point us in the right direction to develop the new parts. James went in a slightly different direction with his set-up and I'm pleased that worked for him. It's given us a pointer on things to try in tomorrow's warm-up.”
