Present:
Mehdi Bennani, Sébastien Loeb Racing (WTCC Trophy representative)
Nicky Catsburg, LADA Sport Rosneft
Fredrik Ekblom, Polestar Cyan Racing
José María López, Citroën Total WTCC
Norbert Michelisz, Honda Racing Team JAS

Q:
José María López, fastest in testing this morning, I guess you looked out of your bedroom window and saw quite a lot of rain. What did you think at that point?

JML:
We knew that the weather was going to be a little bit tricky. In the beginning of my career when it was raining I was always worried. Now if it’s raining I need to jump in the car and I need to be as fast as I can. Of course the risks are more but in free practice you can have some margins. It was good to start like this, I think I showed for us with the weight in the car these conditions are probably favourable. They are better for us. It was a good feeling, I enjoyed the track, I was really looking forward to that. It was a good first session.

Q:
You mentioned the weight. People are probably expecting you to be a bit slower given the 80 kilograms you’re carrying here. Were you surprised at your pace or was the rain the leveller?

JML:
These conditions, they definitely help us. With the weight, normally we get more traction and we’re not losing in the corners too much because the speed is much slower. We’re running around 14 seconds off the pace. When the track dries it will be a big difference. But it’s OK like this. We hope that it rains!

Q:
We turn to Mehdi Benanni, who was fastest in the WTCC Trophy. A good performance from you, were you happy with the set-up and with what you went through in the testing today?

MB:
Yes, for sure. We have been very lucky because the last two days of testing at Magny-Cours we had only rain. So for sure it was a good warm-up for the start of the season. Today yes, set-up was OK and I know more the car because I have one year of experience. But we still have to learn the good line to take in rainy conditions.

Q:
Obviously the WTCC Trophy is not your only target this season, you’re pushing for more than that. What is your absolute plan for this year, what do you hope to achieve?

MB:
For sure we are here to fight against the top drivers and I hope so, because at the end for the people and the fans that are following it’s the results overall, not about the WTCC Trophy. But for sure our aim is to bring the Trophy for the team, Sébastien Loeb Racing, and to focus to fight against the top drivers for this year.

Q:
Sébastien will be joining your team this weekend, he’s coming tomorrow to watch. What advice will you ask him for?

MB:
Well for sure it’s a big help for the team to have a legend like Sébastien Loeb, and every time he gives us the best advice and that’s it. It’s very good for the WTCC I think to have Sébastien here this weekend.

Q:
Fredrik, welcome back to the WTCC and to the start of a new and exciting era for your team Polestar Cyan Racing. What was it like for you in the car out there?

FE:
Well it was very difficult for us. We don’t have a lot of experience in the wet and we have done quite a lot of testing but not in the wet really, and not with so much standing water. The track is new to us and it was difficult but it was still good to be here.

Q:
What can you take from this session into free practice tomorrow? Are there any areas you know you have to work on to improve the car set-up?

FE:
If it’s raining then we need to work on the traction because I was behind these guys and they had very good traction. I think we have to work a little bit in all areas but we’re here to learn and so far so good.

Q:
And if it’s dry tomorrow what difference will that make?

FE:
We’re going to drive a lot quicker! We will see because we have a lot more knowledge about the set-up in the dry but we’ll take it as it comes and try our best.

Q:
Turning to Nicky Catsburg, you’re known as a bit of a one-lap specialist based on some of your qualifying performances. What was it like out there in that session?

NC:
IT was pretty tough, very we and these cars pick up a lot of wheelspin. We managed to control the wheelspin a bit and it felt better than last year but we are still 1.5 or 1.7s off Pehito, which was not good enough but better than last year.

Q:
You mentioned improvements to the traction, were you able to experience some of the other changes the team has made to the car during the off-season?

NC:
Well today’s session is slightly not representative because of the conditions but one big improvement is definitely the start because it was better than last year, easier to control and I’m looking forward to the first start of the season.

Q:
Turning to Norbert Michelisz and your nice new race suit, which suits you a lot, and welcome of course to life as a factory driver in the WTCC…

NM:
Thanks a lot! It’s a new experience for me. A lot has changed around me but I was always looking forward to join a factory team and with Honda giving me the opportunity I’m in a really good position for this season to be more successful than I was in the past. I was happy with the testing performance. We did a lot of testing throughout the winter and also with the performance we had today. Our main goal was not to set a lap time but we knew we wanted to gather some information because we had some rain in Vallelunga. We still wanted to try some things on the car and the first part of the session was about gathering information. At the end I tried to go for a lap time, which was a bit slower than what Pechito and Yvan did but I have to say I am confident for conditions like this.

Q:
While it was only testing you were quicker than your team-mates. How much of a psychological boost will this be heading into tomorrow?

NM:
This has no relevance at all. Under conditions like this everyone runs to a different programme, everyone is switching to better tyres at a different point and the conditions are changing from the beginning of the session to the end. I don’t think it gives you anything to be ahead. It’s a slight boost in confidence but the boost will be gone in 20 minutes.

Questions from the floor:

Q:
Markus Lüttgens, Motorsport-Total.com: One question to everybody except for Fredrik, tomorrow will see the premiere of WTCC MAC3. How have you prepared for that, with a simulator, test on a track and what do you think will be the best strategy?

NM:
We did some testing. For me it looked a bit more easier than it was from inside the car. You have to know your team-mates 100 per cent, especially getting off the line and arriving to the first corner because our information was you can have a strategy but it’s impossible to predict who will be first into the first corner. It’s a bit of a gamble and for the first weekend I think everyone will be a bit more cautious because of the new concept. But I have to say we at Honda are looking forward to it.

JML:
We did some testing in Magny-Cours but as Mehdi said it was really wet. We will see. I am not really worried about my team-mates because this is team work. We will plan the strategy to see who is quickest. This is not abut the lap time you do, it’s about the time of the last car, which is really important. As Norbi said we will try to put on a good show. We realise this has been put on a bit for the manufacturers and the fans and, as a fan, I hope it works, as a driver I hope it works.

NC:
Like Norbi is saying the start makes it difficult because we all have similar speed. But the start makes it difficult doing the same time. You can make a strategy but it’s going to be difficult. We didn’t make a practice so it’s going to be the first time tomorrow.

Q:
Markus Lüttgens, Motorsport-Total.com: One question to the Citroën guys: do you already know who will be third driver in WTCC MAC3?

JML:
Yes, it’s decided but I don’t know if I can say it. But if it’s a team decision then I’m happy.