Macau WTCC: Champion Lopez takes seventh pole of 2014

The Argentinean is poised to achieve a WTCC points and wins season record in Sunday's final round of the season.

After finishing third fastest in an extended half-hour Q1 session, Macau debutant Lopez outshone the field in the remaining two segments of qualifying, securing pole position from Citroen team-mate Sebastien Loeb by 0.228s.

"This is the pole position that I have enjoyed the most this year," said Lopez, who celebrated the result with Argentinean supporters exuberantly.

"It's amazing and a good way of celebrating my title."

Loeb produced an impressive performance throughout qualifying. Having toned down his rally-style techniques from practice, the Frenchman fleetingly went fastest in Q2 before being demoted by Lopez's final lap effort.

The nine-time World Rally champion was also quickest in the single-lap shootout phase of qualifying, before final runner Lopez executed his pole lap. The result was in some ways expected, as Loeb visibly lost time with oversteer turning into Fisherman's Bend.

"I made a little mistake in the last corner, I tried to brake too late and missed the apex," explained Loeb.

Last year's Macau winner Yvan Muller admitted to struggling with understeer in the second sector and finished third.

Norbert Michelisz produced a fine Q2 lap to earn a place in the coveted single-lap Q3 shootout. The Zengo Motorsport racer and former Macau victor will start from fourth place in Sunday's opening race.

Dutchman Tom Coronel exploited his circuit knowledge and car control to join Michelisz in Q3, but the ROAL driver was unable to complete his lap after damaging his left-front wheel against a wall.

Fellow WTCC veteran Gabriele Tarquini had not set a representative laptime in Q2 until the chequered flag appeared, but the Italian hauled himself up to sixth place with a last ditch lap.

Tarquini's factory JAS Honda team-mate Tiago Monteiro starts seventh. The Portuguese former grand prix driver did well to escape an accident after a huge moment on the mountain section.

Six-time Macau winner Rob Huff was a fine eighth for Lada, ahead of compatriot Tom Chilton. Hugo Valente brought smiles to the Campos team after a difficult day by taking the reversed-grid pole position for tenth.

The second Campos Cruze of Pepe Oriola suffered an accident in Q1 after just five minutes. The Spaniard, who is substituting for the injured Dusan Borkovic, had impressed on Thursday, but his qualifying crash followed an earlier shunt in free practice two.

On his 26th appearance in Macau, and perhaps final outing in the WTCC, Franz Engstler picked up the Yokohama Trophy pole position. Engstler has committed to next year's TC3 championship with Volkswagen.