Yvan Muller took the runner-up spot in a second Citroën with Honda pair Gabriele Tarquini and Norbert Michelisz third and fourth respectively. José María López, who won the day’s opening race, finished fifth after an action-packed counter, which leaves the Argentine with a 55-point title advantage heading to the summer break.

LADA driver Nicky Catsburg was in third only to run wide and allow Tarquini to pounce. Catsburg then became embroiled in a collision with Michelisz and Sébastien Loeb, which left Loeb skating into a tyre barrier. Catsburg continued only to crash heavily, which resulted in the race being stopped early. The Dutchman was taken to the circuit medical centre for precautionary checks but later release.

Hopes of home success were dashed on the charge to the first corner when Tiago Monteiro’s bid to squeeze between LADA drivers Catsburg and Jaap van Lagen ended in a heavy collision. Monteiro’s Honda suffered significant damage after it clouted a retaining wall, which prompted the intervention of the safety car for four laps while the track was cleared of stricken cars and debris. Van Laagen, who had started third, was also out on the spot, while Stefano D’Aste retired when he ran over debris.