- Viktor Andersson achieved his best result of the weekend with a sixth place in the second race (third in the Youth Trophy) at the Mugello International Circuit.
- Marco Butti and Adam Shepherd also showed great pace, but several race incidents prevented them from translating it into corresponding results.
- “We know we have the pace to be at the front, but incidents and penalties prevented us from reaching the podium. Even so, the team’s work was excellent,” says David Simón, team manager of Monlau Motul.
- “Competing with three cars at this level requires perfect coordination, and the staff responded exceptionally well. We leave Mugello knowing that we have the ideal structure to fight for top positions,” says Jaime Serrano, CEO of Monlau Motul.
Monlau Motul Technical School kicked off its third TCR Europe season at the Mugello International Circuit in Italy. The Barcelona-based team displayed a highly competitive race pace throughout the weekend on the Italian track, but several incidents and penalties prevented them from achieving their first podium finish of the year in a grid of 24 touring cars characterized by extreme parity. The best result of the weekend was achieved by Swede Viktor Andersson, with a sixth-place finish (third in the Youth Trophy) in the second race.
The action began on Friday with free practice, where the technical staff worked intensively on the setup of the three CUPRA León VZ TCRs. On Saturday, qualifying confirmed that one-lap time would be the area for improvement: Marco Butti qualified 7th (1:55.541), just one second off pole , while Viktor Andersson was 9th (1:55.984) and Adam Shepherd, on his debut at the Tuscan circuit, 17th (1:56.877).
In the first race, held later that Saturday afternoon, Butti made a great start to move up to fourth, but a racing incident sent him off onto the grass. After rejoining the track, the Italian began a comeback that culminated in a double overtake of his own teammates to finish 10th. Shepherd, meanwhile, put in a solid performance, showing good progress in traffic, and finished 11th, just ahead of Andersson, who finished 12th after struggling to find a rhythm with cold tires in the early laps.
On Sunday, the inverted grid compared to qualifying results offered a great opportunity for the team in the second and final race. Andersson started second and Butti third, while Shepherd again started from 17th. The Italian made a good start and held a podium position, but contact with a rival while battling for second place resulted in a five-second penalty. Because of this, despite crossing the finish line in second, he dropped to seventh.
Shepherd delivered one of the standout performances of the day with a remarkable comeback that saw him move into the points after a great start. However, contact with his teammate Andersson on the final lap earned him a five-second penalty which, in a very tight group after the safety car period, saw him drop from seventh to 16th.
Andersson, meanwhile, was again penalized by tire temperature in the early stages and lost several positions. Although he ultimately saw the checkered flag in eighth place, penalties to his two teammates allowed him to move up to sixth place, in addition to being third in the Youth Trophy.
Although the results didn’t reflect their full potential, Monlau Motul demonstrated a competitive pace in both races and a great effort from the team of engineers, mechanics, and students, a key factor in a championship that began with extremely close competition. After this first round, Marco Butti is eighth in the championship (fourth in the Youth Trophy), Viktor Andersson is ninth (fifth in the Youth Trophy), and Adam Shepherd is 15th. In the team standings, Monlau Motul is in fourth place, just six points behind third.
David Simón , team manager of Monlau Motul, analyzed the start of the championship: “The overall feeling is bittersweet. We knew qualifying would be tougher, but in the races we showed we have the pace to be at the front. Butti did a great job in both races, Viktor fought hard despite the difficulties at the starts, and Adam completed some very commendable comebacks on a circuit he didn’t know. Incidents and penalties prevented us from reaching the podium, but the team worked excellently, and that’s the most important thing for the races to come.”
Jaime Serrano , CEO of Monlau Motul, highlighted the overall performance: “Competing with three cars at this level requires perfect coordination, and the staff more than delivered. We leave Mugello knowing we have the ideal structure to fight for top positions in the following races.”
The next TCR Europe round will take place from May 15-17 at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium, where Monlau Motul will be looking to challenge for top positions on one of the world’s most demanding tracks.
Mugello qualifying results:
https://europe.tcr-series.com/index.php/2026-ev/item/mugello-circuit
TCR Europe overall standings:
https://europe.tcr-series.com/index.php/tcrstandings
