Azcona leverages Zhejiang and takes a 33-point lead into the Macau finale

I was following the third race in Zhejiang when the weekend took its decisive turn. Mikel Azcona crossed the line first, with Norbert Michelisz second and Thed Björk third. The Spanish driver not only won again: he extended his lead in the FIA TCR World Tour standings and arrived at the Macau finale with 33 points in hand.

A dry track and a tense race

The only race of the weekend held on a dry circuit also proved to be the most intense. Hyundai and Geely drivers repeatedly fought for position, and race control issued formal warnings to Azcona, Santiago Urrutia and Björk. The contact did not prevent a clean finish for the two Hyundai leaders.

Behind them, Yann Ehrlacher and Ma Qinghua completed the top five in Geely cars. Diego Morán, the Ecuadorian driver for Honda, lost performance because of a turbo problem and finished eighth. The final result therefore gave Azcona another important victory, his eighth in the category since his debut in 2023.

The championship also took a sharp turn. Urrutia had reduced the gap with Azcona to 17 points after Saturday's second race. Forced into the pits because of damage during the contest, the Uruguayan driver could not sustain that recovery. He crossed the line in Zhejiang in tenth place and fell to third in the overall standings, six points behind Michelisz.

Azcona now has 445 points, compared with Michelisz's 406, while Urrutia remains on 400. The numbers leave the Spaniard with a comfortable margin, but the Macau meeting still has a major factor: Azcona and Michelisz will carry the highest compensation weight in the field. That balance opens the door for the other contenders.

“Zhejiang gave Azcona the podium he needed and pushed Urrutia away from the fight for the title. Now comes Macau, where the compensation weight and the characteristics of the urban circuit can change the picture.”Ramiro Villafañe, Deportes

• Azcona won the third race in Zhejiang and extended his championship lead to 33 points.
• Michelisz finished second and remains six points ahead of Urrutia in the general standings.
• Urrutia was forced into the pits and dropped from a close second-place fight to third overall.
• Björk completed the podium, while Ehrlacher and Ma Qinghua finished fourth and fifth.
• The championship finale will take place in Macau, with the highest compensation weight applied to Azcona and Michelisz.

The fixture of the week is the final round in Macau. Azcona arrives with the advantage, but the heaviest compensation weight and a circuit where positions can change quickly leave the door open. We will see if that margin is enough to close the championship with peace of mind. The weekend is still far from over.