Federation Internationale De L’Automobile
www.fiawtcc.com
Present:
José María López, Citroën Total WTCC, first position, race one, third position race two
Yvan Muller, Citroën Total WTCC, first position, race two
Ma Qing Hua, Citroën Total WTCC, second position race one
Sébastien Loeb, Citroën Total WTCC, third position race one, second position race two
Mehdi Bennani, Sébastien Loeb Racing, Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy winner race one
Tom Chilton, ROAL Motorsport, Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy winner race two
Q:
Your second win of the season following a lot of early-race pressure. What was it like for you in
that first race?
JML:
First I have to thank the team because they did a fantastic job again so thank you to Citroën and all the people who are working behind the scenes and on the car. The start of the first race was very difficult because Ma did a very good job at the start and I had to defend into the first corner. Then of course having him behind me on the first lap meant I had big pressure especially on this circuit. When you are first into the big braking [areas] it is not easy and he was catching. Then I started to push a little bit and it was possible to make a good pace and pull out a little bit. It was a very good race for me and the team and congratulations to Ma, Seb and Yvan who all did fantastic races.
Q:
Turning to our race two winner Yvan: pole position to your first win of the season after a close battle with Sébastien Loeb. Please explain how tense that battle was?
YM:
It was a big battle and you could see Seb was very close behind me. I was pushing as much as I could and he was pushing as much as he could. It was a hard race especially on this circuit where
there is a lot of hard braking. It’s very easy to do a mistake. I did one at the beginning of the race and after I said ‘okay, that was the one and I can’t do any more mistake because Seb would take
the opportunity’. But it’s more easy to say than to do it, especially when you are driving flat out. That’s what we did and finally we could take the victory.
Q:
What was race one like coming from 10th to fifth in race one after another very exciting race?
YM:
It was good. I did a good start. In the first corner I was a bit cautious and I lose a few places but then I push again. I was thinking of the second race and wanted to avoid contact. It was a good result. To start P10 and finish P5 without damage on the front is not easy at this kind of circuit so I have to be pleased with the result.
Q:
And a great way to get your season up and running after a difficult weekend in Argentina…
YM:
Yeah, it was important to have a victory and score some points after Argentina. Now we have to go further.
Q:
Turning back to you José, third place in race two is another good result for the championship. Were you satisfied with what you achieved in that race?
JML:
It was difficult. I was thinking it would be difficult and P5 for me was my main objective so I would not lose too many points in comparison to Yvan and Seb. Chilton and Valente yesterday were really quick yesterday and were on the grid when they were not there for the first race so I was quite worried to be honest. In this situation I knew Seb was starting from P3 and Yvan in P1. Ma was also ahead and so now I had four Citroëns in front of me who are really quick as well. I did a good start and I was lucky in the first corner because there was an incident but I passed some
cars. Then little by little I was trying to pass the cars and it was a good fight with Valente and also Chilton. P3 is more than I expected for the second race and I am happy to start the championship like this and pass a very difficult circuit. Street circuits can always be dangerous and give you some headache. Four podiums in the first four races is good so I’m very happy and thanks to Citroën and everybody.
Q:
Ma, your first podium of the season and your first visit to Marrakech so an excellent result. It was exciting watching that first race but what was it like for you inside the car?
MQH:
I’m pretty happy for race one and did a very good job at the start to get some position. I tried to fight with Pechito but it’s really difficult. I tried to catch him in lap one and the gap was really close. I tried to overtake but it’s really difficult when we are on the same pace. Then after I think my car had a brake issue. I tried to settle down a bit rather than do something stupid that could damage the car and damage the race. That’s pretty good for my first podium of this season.
Q:
There were a couple of knocks and bumps in race two and we saw you in the wall at one point. What actually happened to you in race two?
MQH:
I was in a big group to try to overtake. The balance was quite good but I was following for a long time with the car in front and I start to have a brake issue again. I lose the car and I fly into the wall and crash. Luckily it didn’t damage the car too much so I come back onto the track but there was a big gap. That’s what happened.
Q:
Two podiums here in Morocco, which are excellent for your championship chances. What were those races like from your perspective?
SL:
Both races were good. Yesterday I was struggling a little bit and I didn’t have the pace that I would expect but finally the races were okay. We solved the little problem with the setting of the car we had in qully and then the car was good. I tried to fight in both races. In the first one I had a very good start and got up into third position. Mehdi came very close to me and I had to protect my
position nearly all the race. It was a great battle and he was pushing very hard. It was not easy but in the end to finish third was the best result I could expect. In the second race I finished second just behind Yvan. I tried to keep big pressure on him but to beat your team-mate when he’s a four-time world champion and is driving the same car is very hard so I tried to keep the pressure but not try something completely crazy and pass in a silly place. But I still have some good points for the championship so no problem.
Q:
Last night you spoke of needing to sit down with your team to sort out the problems you had in qualifying. Can you say exactly what you managed to resolve to make the car better for today?
SL:
We struggled a bit to find a good compromise with the top speed. We lost a lot in the top speed and we tried to address something that was slowing down a bit the car so we changed the brakes
and some things like that and it worked for today.
Q:
Your claimed your first Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy victory of the season with a very good performance in race two. Can you summarise that performance but also what happened with Tom Coronel, your team-mate, in race one?
TC:
It was a complete and utter mistake by myself. I was four car lengths back and I braked two car lengths early than normal. The very initial bite on the brake I locked up and once I locked up that was it and I wasn’t going to stop so it was a huge error on my behalf. I’m extremely sorry to Tom but very happy that ROAL Motorsport got him back out for race two and gave him the opportunity to get a podium for race two. But sadly there was an incident in front of him in race two so unfortunately he didn’t finish.
Q:
But from your perspective race two was very good with a lot of battles and, at one point, you were up in the top three?
TC:
It was busy! It was actually really good fun. I just stood up a minute ago with these guys for a photo. All of their seats were dry but mine was wet with sweat so it just shows you how much harder my car is to drive. For me that’s a win because we cannot keep up with the Citroëns and it was nice to have a bit of a battle briefly with López and Ma but sadly… as Loeb was just saying about their top speed I was out-dragging López up until fourth gear out of the hairpin but then he out-dragged me enough to pull in front of me before braking so that just shows you… well done guys you’ve got your top speed there! I tried my absolute best and I am so, so happy with that position, P4 and number one in the independents. I love Marrakech and always seem to get on the podium here so thank you for having me back.
Q:
We saw you didn’t quite get the started off the front row. What actually happened and can you describe your race after that?
MB:
For sure I still have to learn a lot to get a good start. I knew I would lose a lot of place but in the end I only lose two places to Sébastien Loeb and Ma. Then I had a good fight, but a clean fight with Sébastien. It was a good race for me, okay, I am still learning because it’s only my second race with Citroën, we still have to work on the set-up and understand the car. But every time my team Sébastien Loeb Racing and the Citroën factory drivers are every time here to give me some advice and it’s nice.
Q:
Was there a sense of disappointment that you didn’t quite make it into the top three in race one?
MB:
For sure I was pushing very much because I wanted to give a podium to all of Morocco. They are following me and it’s like a national sport today, more than football. It’s nice to see these spectators coming and supporting me and I can only say thank you to them. The only way was to give them a podium and I tried to do my best. I tried to overtake on the limit Sébastien Loeb one time but I had to cut the chicane and I have to give to him the place again. But that’s okay because we are here to fight and every time I drive at 100 per cent I am happy and that’s how it was for both races.
Q:
In the second race there were a couple of moments when your car got quite close to the wall. What actually happened in that second race?
MB:
The two contacts were with the same driver [Hugo Valente]. Every time I was trying to have a clean break and to overtake very clean. It’s very easy when you are coming from the inside to touch the rear tyres. It was the same two times and two times I saw the wall in front of me and I was lucky not to crash the car in front and destroy the engine. But the back was too much destroyed at the end. But it’s okay, it’s like this and we have to fight. The first contact I was eight seconds behind him and with two laps to go I was able to overtake him. But the other time, the same manoeuvre…but the stewards from the FIA will do their work and we’ll see what’s happening.
