Faas flies but there’s no stopping Kiss in the Goodyear FIA ETRC qualifying rain
Steffen Faas charged to a Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship season-best qualifying performance as rain brought an early end to the pole battle at Circuit Zolder this morning.
While reigning champion Norbert Kiss from Hungary made it 10 pole positions out of 10 in 2026, having been quickest when qualifying was halted and not restarted with two minutes of Q5 remaining, it was Chrome contender Faas who made arguably the greatest impression with the sixth fastest time overall.
Spaniard Antonio Albacete was lying in second place when Q5 was halted, with Portugal’s José Eduardo Rodrigues third and Germans Sascha Lenz and René fourth and fifth followed by their countryman Faas.
A performance that also left him on top of the Chrome category order came despite Faas spinning his Freightliner as conditions worsened during the second phase of today’s qualifying session.
“For me it’s fantastic in the rain,” said Faas, whose previous best Goodyear FIA ETRC qualifying performance dates back to 2024. “It was very slippery, but we all have the same problems. In this moment the power that’s the point you need, you also need a good feel and a good feeling [for the conditions]. I hope we can race for all laps but I’m very cautious and I hope all is fair in the middle of the field. All the team have a smile and for me it’s also happy. We worked yesterday to change the gearbox and worked on many things. We hope we have a good race.”
Safety always comes first as qualifying cancellation decision explained
Today’s three-phase qualifying session was shortened with the 10-minute second part halted two minutes ahead of schedule and Q6 not taking place due to the Circuit Zolder rain, which means the grid for Race 3 will be based on the results from Q4 and Q5.
Stewards’ Decision No 04 read: “QP5 was stopped and QP6 was unable to take place due to adverse weather conditions. The Stewards, after consultation with the Race Director, and under the power granted to them under Articles 2.1.6.a and 11.7.3.o of the 2026 FIA lnternational Sporting Code, elect not to resume QP5 and to cancel QP6 from this Competition in accordance with Article 11.7 .3.r of the 2026 FIA lnternational Sporting Code. The starting grid for Race 3 will be determined by the results of QP4 and QP5”.
Kiss in front come shine or rain
Just like he did in the dry of Saturday, Norbert Kiss has qualified on pole position in the Goodyear FIA ETRC, the Révész Racing driver’s 10th pole in 10 attempts in 2026.
After going quickest in Q4 with a 2m08.791s, Kiss was on top of the timing screens when Q5 was red-flagged for safety reasons.
He said: “Between turn one and turn two there was a bit of aquaplaning, but the rest of the circuit was not bad, and we were only 15 seconds slower than the dry lap times. But there were some trucks spinning so safety first.
“We were looking at the conditions, what is to be expected and what is happening. In the first part of qualifying we go out and it started raining so I said, ‘let’s pick up the pace and do a lap time as quickly as possible’, which was okay. The circuit was getting a bit more wet and it was not really possible to improve in the end of Q4 and also the beginning of Q5.”
How the battle for Goodyear FIA ETRC pole position unfolded
With rain worsening throughout Q4, Norbert Kiss, Antonio Albacete, Sascha Lenz, José Eduardo Rodrigues, Steffen Faas, John Newell, Mark Taylor, Steffi Halm, René Reinert, Jonathan André, Luke Garrett and Luis Recuenco all made it through to Q5. However, Stefan Kursch, Clemens Hecker and six-time European champion Jochen Hahn were eliminated.
Hecker and Hahn didn’t take part in qualifying with Hecker’s team reporting a recurrence of the technical issue that blighted his Saturday running, while an engine change prevented Hahn from leaving the paddock.
In Q5, Recuenco’s pursuit of a place in Q6 was hampered by a trip through the gravel trap exiting the first corner. Faas also spun at the same turn, while Newell took to the gravel in avoidance. With conditions worsening, the session was red flag with 2m09s left on the clock but not resumed, while Q6 was cancelled.
Kiss, Albacete, Rodrigues, Lenz, Reinert and Faas filled the top six places at that point followed by Halm, Recuenco, Newell, Taylor, Garrett and André.
Race 3, which is scheduled for 12 laps, is due to begin at 14:20 local time followed by the 12-lap Race 4 at 17:05. Watch the action live on YouTube. Click HERE for live timing. Results are available via Sportity using the password: FIA_ETRC_26.
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