Portugal WTCR: Muller wins after two-hour delay

Muller made a dreadful start on the initial getaway, but was the first car in the queue when the race restarted behind a safety car and controlled proceedings thereafter.

The race had been halted for car recovery and track repairs after a crash on the opening lap, which was triggered by polesitter Rob Huff and teammate Mehdi Bennani making contact through the fast Turn 5 right-hander.

Norbert Michelisz had returned to the grid having survived a hit in that crash, but his BRC Racing Hyundai i30 N was not allowed to take the restart and was instead returned to the pits, giving Muller clear track when racing resumed at the end of lap four.

The four-time world champion was matched in the opening laps by Esteban Guerrieri - whose Munnich Motorsport outfit had worked throughout the stoppage to repair his Honda Civic in time for the restart - with Gabriele Tarquini in tow in third in the sole surviving BRC Hyundai.

But Muller gradually eked out an advantage and was never troubled by Guerrieri, with both opting to serve their joker laps at the end of lap eight.

Muller clinched his second win of the season by a little more than two seconds, reclaiming the points lead in the process as a result of nephew Yann Ehrlacher being eliminated in the first lap crash.

Tarquini had pressed Guerrieri in the closing stages, but suffered a left-front puncture on the final lap and dropped to fourth, ceding the final podium position to Pepe Oriola approaching the final corner.

Oriola had earlier completed a vital overtake on Jean-Karl Vernay - who had taken the initial start from the pitlane after crashing at the end of qualifying - by squeezing his Campos Racing Cupra past Vernay on the run off the second corner after Vernay had served his joker.

Vernay still finished a comfortable fifth behind Tarquini, while Aurelien Comte claimed sixth in his Peugeot 308TCR from Benjamin Lessennes in the closing stages.

The Comtoyou Racing Audi RS3 LMSs finished eighth and 10th, sandwiching the similar WRT car of Gordon Shedden.

Fabrizio Giovanardi finished 11th - recording the Team Mulsanne Alfa Romeo outfit's best finish so far in 2018 - but he was placed under investigation during the race for crossing the blue joker lap line in his Giulietta.

Race results

Cla	Driver	Car	Gap
1	Yvan Muller	Hyundai
2	Esteban Guerrieri	Honda	2.060
3	Pepe Oriola	Seat	10.596
4	Gabriele Tarquini	Hyundai	12.925
5	Jean-Karl Vernay	Audi	13.926
6	Aurélien Comte	Peugeot	14.186
7	Benjamin Lessennes	Honda	16.696
8	Nathanaël Berthon	Audi	19.937
9	Gordon Shedden	Audi	20.169
10	Frederic Vervisch	Audi	20.678
11	Fabrizio Giovanardi	Alfa Romeo	21.728
12	Mato Homola	Peugeot	22.668
13	Edgar Florindo	Seat	50.040
14	Norbert Nagy	Seat	50.451
15	Zsolt David Szabo	Seat	1'05.510
16	Aurelien Panis	Audi	3 Laps
17	Denis Dupont	Audi	5 Laps
18	José Rodrigues	Honda	6 Laps
19	Tom Coronel	Honda	8 Laps
20	Norbert Michelisz	Hyundai	12 Laps
21	Rob Huff	Volkswagen	13 Laps
22	Mehdi Bennani	Volkswagen	13 Laps
23	Yann Ehrlacher	Honda	13 Laps
24	Thed Björk	Hyundai	13 Laps
25	John Filippi	Seat	13 Laps
26	James Thompson	Honda	13 Laps
27	Gianni Morbidelli	Alfa Romeo	13 Laps