On a weekend where the Civic Type R TCR was far from the fastest car, Esteban executed both days of action well, losing only two points to the Championship leader come the end of Race Two.
He started the day with a smart drive to fourth in Race One, heading Nestor Girolami in what was a routine opener for the two ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Civic Type R TCRs.
Another top-five finish appeared to be on the cards in Race Two, until the order was shaken up in a chaotic final few laps.
As the pack closed up, Esteban came off worst through the tight left-right chicane and dropped to seventh. He remained there until the finish despite attempting to overtake the points leader, who cut back across the track to block his line, on the final lap.
It means the Argentinian is third in the standings, 22 points from the summit, with two race weekends of the 2021 season remaining.
After finishing fifth in Race One, Nestor played an important role in Race Two, leapfrogging both Esteban and the points leader with a perfect start to run fifth.
Having allowed Esteban through, ‘Bebu’ then played the role of wingman by backing the pack up to protect his team-mate’s position.
Sixth place should have been his reward for that rearguard action, but Nestor lost pace as the race approached mid-distance and eventually stopped with what was diagnosed as a tyre delamination that left him with a suspension issue.
Despite that disappointment, ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport remain second in the Teams’ Championship.
Tiago Monteiro’s Sunday was something of a rollercoaster, with his best result of 12th in Race Two in no way indicative of his raceday potential.
From 10th on the grid in Race One, the Portuguese had an excellent launch and was in contention for eighth, only to be hit from the side on the approach to the Turn 3 hairpin.
Tiago was a passenger from there as his car slid into the barrier at high speed, with the right-rear suspension broken in the impact.