Breaking news
WTCR Zolder
Filippi to make wildcard appearance with Alfa WTCR team
Former GP2 race winner Luca Filippi will make his World Touring Car Cup debut at Zolder this weekend, driving an Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR for Romeo Ferraris.
Rachit Thukral
Edited: Sep 10, 2020, 2:27 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Filippi will contest the 2020 WTCR season opener as a wildcard, having missed the deadline to make a regular entry for the Belgian event.
The Italian driver will team up with 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours GTE Am class winner Jean-Karl Vernay, who was signed by Romeo Ferraris as its sole full season driver last month.
Filippi will make his WTCR foray following a full campaign with BRC Hyundai in the TCR Europe series in 2019, when he finished 16th in the championship with a best result of second at the Red Bull Ring.
Prior to switching to touring cars, Filippi raced in selected IndyCar races in 2013-16 before joining the NIO team for the 2017/18 Formula E season.
His junior single-seater career featured an extended stint in the Formula 1-supporting GP2 series between 2006-12, during which he scored six race wins and finished runner-up to champion Romain Grosjean in 2011.
“I am very happy to be at the kick-off of the FIA WTCR in this 2020 season," Filippi said. "It has been possible thanks to the support of great companies that I have the honour to represent and that I want to repay with my greatest determination and the best possible results in what is the top and most competitive touring car series.
"My first season with a front-wheel-drive car has left me very good sensations and I am sure that the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR by Romeo Ferraris will be among the front-runners."
Filippi’s team Romeo Ferraris had originally planned to pull out of the WTCR at the end of the 2019 season and even put both its Alfa Romeo TCR cars on sale.
However, it decided to make a comeback after the series announced a cost-friendly, Europe-based calendar in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Romeo Ferraris’ plan was to downscale from two entries to only one this year, taking advantage of a change in WTCR regulations that made the move possible, but Filippi’s addition means it will run two cars at Zolder this weekend.
Romeo Ferraris joined the WTCR grid in 2018 with a pair of Giulietta TCR cars and has enjoyed considerable success in its first two years in the category, scoring two victories, nine podium finishes and a solitary pole position.
Last year it finished seventh in the teams standings', with Ma Qinghua delivering its sole victory of the season in the third race at Slovakia.
Kevin Ceccon, who was coincidentally replaced by Filippi at Scudera Coloni during the 2011 GP2 season, scored five podiums in Romeo Ferraris’ other entry last year, including a second place finish in the season finale at Sepang.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article WEC announces Toyota Le Mans weight penalty, BoP tweaks
Next article Racing Point still favourite to take third, says McLaren
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Rachit Thukral
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
MotoGP
MotoGP
Qatar GP
21 h
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
Why aerodynamics will become "even more important" under 2027 MotoGP regulations
MotoGP
MotoGP
Qatar GP
1 d
Why aerodynamics will become "even more important" under 2027 MotoGP regulations
More from
Luca Filippi
Friday favourite: The street track gem behind a breakthrough IndyCar result
IndyCar
IndyCar Jan 5, 2024
Friday favourite: The street track gem behind a breakthrough IndyCar result
Ex-GP2 ace Filippi makes touring car switch
TCR
TCR Apr 16, 2019
Ex-GP2 ace Filippi makes touring car switch
NIO drops Filippi from Formula E line-up
Formula E
Formula E Oct 1, 2018
NIO drops Filippi from Formula E line-up
More from
Romeo Ferraris
Alfa Romeo squad secures 2020 WTCR return
WTCR
WTCR Aug 20, 2020
Alfa Romeo squad secures 2020 WTCR return
Alfa Romeo squad targeting WTCR comeback this year
WTCR
WTCR Jun 7, 2020
Alfa Romeo squad targeting WTCR comeback this year
Alfa Romeo squad says WTCR return unlikely
WTCR
WTCR Dec 22, 2019
Alfa Romeo squad says WTCR return unlikely
Latest news
How Istanbul is revamping its F1 circuit to clinch long-term future
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Turkish GP
1 h
How Istanbul is revamping its F1 circuit to clinch long-term future
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 17 h
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 18 h
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
19 h
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe