Present*: 
Gabriele Tarquini, LADA Sport Rosneft, Opening Race first position
Mehdi Bennani, Sébastien Loeb Racing, Main Race first position, WTCC Trophy first position
Tom Chilton, Sébastien Loeb Racing, Opening Race second position, WTCC Trophy first position
Thed Björk, Polestar Cyan Racing, Main Race second position
José María López, Citroën Total WTCC, Main Race third position

Q:
WTCC career win number 22 following a very good drive from you. Firstly can you talk us through your passing move for the lead?

GT:
My car was very good especially on the first few laps and I discovered this just after the start. Unfortunately, I was on the dirty part on the inside and was not able to do a very good start. But on the first few corners I felt my car was working very good and probably better than Tom’s [Chilton]. On the restart I got the chance. I was completely on the outside, he went a little too long and I used my chance and this was key for the victory because on this track, especially with the sand around the kerbs, it’s very, very difficult to follow another car. After it was quite an easy race. My pace was very good and on a certain point I got an eight-second advantage. Then I thought it was probably better to slow down a little bit but a great race.

Q:
Given your situation for next season, how significant and important was this victory today?

GT:
I want to give this fantastic victory to all the guys who work night and day. Everybody knew just before this race that they’ve got to stop. I want to send to all the LADA people in Russia this picture of the last race. We have a great car, a great potential. The team has grown a lot and it’s really a shame they stop at this moment. I feel they put all this experience and many they spent during the last five years through the windows and this is not the way to do motorsport. Now we are closing the gap. We have a good car and a good team. It’s improving very, very high and it’s really a shame they stop. I don’t speak about me but about the situation, the guys, the mechanics, the engineers, they put all the effort to improve this car. We were working like a normal weekend here to try to improve the car and I want to freeze this picture with the last win.

Q:
Turning to Mehdi Bennani, the Main Race winner and the third WTCC win of your career, the first Main Race win with many more victories to come we’re sure. A great drive from pole position, just explain that performance please?

MB:
For sure it was not an easy race for me today because I made it a hard life to try to keep Thed [Björk] in my back. I had one question today: you deserve it in qualifying because some people did a mistake but I deserved it in qualifying because I didn’t do a mistake. After I have to finalise this pole position because to get this result in Qatar in my second home race was like a dream. So I push to the maximum. I knew it would be very tough because it’s the Main Race and we have all very quick drivers. I know [José María] López is just behind, [Yvan] Muller, Thed, so it’s going to be very tough. And when I see at the start that José is already ahead of the Volvo I knew a big fight would start. After I tried to do 12 or 13 laps like qualifying and the only thing in my mind was I would win or I would put my car in the wall because I absolutely wanted to win this race.

Q:
Turning next to Tom Chilton, second place in the Opening Race after a very intense battle with your countryman Rob Huff. Leading at the start but what actually happened for Gabriele to get ahead of you?

TC:
I knew from the start of the Opening Race I was struggling through the first couple of corners because my tyres weren’t quite ready. I managed to push just a little bit more and it started to come to me. But then there was a red flag and I knew as soon as I saw that are we allowed to do anything to the tyres on the grid and we didn’t and I really struggled for grip at the beginning. Actually on the restart I was weaving, I pulled away from Gabriele to start the last run but I had so much understeer at the last corner to start the lap and when I came out of it I was thinking ‘this is good, this is good’ but then Gabriele was right on my bumper. I knew it would be tough for half a lap but he managed to get past me without hitting me, which was great. The fight between me and Rob Huff [afterwards] was pure class. It was inch-by-inch perfect and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Every lap was like a qualifying lap. We’re carrying 80 kilos of ballast and we’re having to monitor the tyre life and push hard like we do in qualifying. It was very exciting and I’m so happy for the team, Sébastien Loeb Racing. They’ve done a fantastic job this weekend and it feels like we’ve won everything. It’s all gone our way so well done to the team and well done to Mehdi for the win, it was fantastic.

Q:
Turning next to Thed Björk, second in the Main Race for Volvo Polestar. You put Mehdi under a lot of pressure and got to within three-tenths at one point. Was there an opportunity to get ahead of Mehdi or was he simply too strong for you today?

TB:
Firstly, I was really happy with the qualifying starting second. I tried to do a really good start but it was not easy to get up alongside Mehdi and I even lost a place to José so going to third position and then fighting to get past. I was happy. I really had the speed and I enjoyed that José saw I was pushing and gave me a really good gap and I could go for it so this is big respect and I’m happy for this. Then I started to chase Mehdi and I just wanted to win because I know how good it feels. But I was pushing really hard and did all I could. I thought I had really good speed in the car. I got close to Mehdi but it’s not easy to be close to the other car so I just waited and tried to see if he did a mistake. But he kept the whole race together with no mistakes and really deserved the win so I’m really happy for him. Then I’m also really happy for the team because of the second place, all the guys, the mechanics, working really hard. It feels really good to have the Volvo up there and now in qualifying so we’re just really, really happy.

Q:
Turning to José María López, another WTCC podium but not quite the top step and, for the time being, your last WTCC podium for a while. How are you feeling right now?

JML:
I am not thinking about me. I am just thinking about Yvan. Thank you Yvan for everything. Today is about him because he is leaving us for good, for sure. I respect him so much and thank you Citroën. Honestly the race for me doesn’t make a difference. You always want to win and congratulations to the guys but the applause, all the questions and this conference is for Yvan and not for me.

Q:
Turning finally to Yvan Muller and thank you for coming to the press conference and thank you for your endless support and commitment to this championship. It’s your last press and you’ve done it, your final race, it’s over so what’s going through your mind right now?

MB:
Many things are in my mind right now, especially the words from José  and the big applause from the crowd and all the comment of the people. It was time for me to stop. Of course it’s a very emotional moment but everything has to end and I’m so pleased it’s happening now with all these guys who I have so much respect for. Okay we had some fights and trouble but at the end we were all friends with a lot of respect. That is also part of the sport I like.

Q:
And there’s no regrets in your mind right now that you’ve made the right decision to stop?

YM:
I have no regrets about my decision. This is my last press conference and I am pleased of it.

Q:
What will you do now to keep busy?

YM:
For sure there are many things to do now. I will of course look after my team and my young drivers. I will keep going to coach them but the time I was spending as a driver I will be spending with my family and to see my children grow up. The last third of the time I will spend on something else and I will come back with a different hat but I won’t say what.

*Rob Huff was unable to attend due to illness.