Present:
José María López, Citroën Total WTCC, first position
Ma Qing Hua, Citroën Total WTCC, second position
Nicky Catsburg, LADA Sport Rosneft
John Filippi, Campos Racing, leading Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy contender

Q:
Your fifth pole position of 2015 following a dramatic and stunning lap in what was an early qualifying session. Can you talk us through it?

JML:
“Like always I want to start by congratulating the guys here for doing a fantastic job, Catsburg and Filippi did a fantastic job. Ma we are used to having him here because he is always very quick. He was impressive last year and I expected the same. He pushed hard in the Free Practice, I learn from him as well a bit and we helped each other to be quicker and to manage to put the Citroën C-Elysées on the first row. That’s very important for the team and the main objective, which is the Manufacturers’ championship. And from my side I felt confident from the first lap in Q1. It’s one of the first time of the year or maybe my two years in WTCC that I haven’t really changed the set-up during qualifying and I felt confident. Maybe the last lap was a little more difficult and maybe I didn’t do it as clean as it was in Q2 so I knew it was going to be tight and probably maybe the key point of the lap was the last two corners maybe. It was tight, but enough and pole position is pole position. For me it’s important. Even as I have said before that I have a good margin in the championship I have to try to do the best as I can. Still there is a long day to go, a different day. We try to get some rest, to prepare the car for the race and try again.”

Q:
How much of a difference did the lower ambient and track temperatures make this morning?

JML:
Not really, not really. The track was quicker and maybe through the session it was getting a little bit hotter and maybe a little bit slower. The track condition was better but it was better for everyone, not for one car. It was fresher, a clean track so not particularly a problem.

Q:
Turning to our local hero Ma Qing Hua. Starting off with Qualifying Q1 you came very close to missing the cut-off, was there a problem or was this part of your well-judged strategy?

MQH:
For me I was quite sensitive of the condition. I see with the delayed qually we worked very hard yesterday on the set-up but it was a bit wrong this morning so we tried to correct it. My engineer did a very good job in Q2 and I have my car and I started to push. The pace was really good then we had a good car again to change for the Q3. I was a little disappointed not to be Q1 but it was okay and we still have the race to go this afternoon.

Q:
So quite a transformation from Q1 to Q3 but perhaps had the set-up been better in Q1 could you have got that pole position?

MQH:
Like José said maybe I was showing too much in Free Practice and didn’t learn too much. But I had to beat the world champion not just to the pole position but also the strategy and that’s not easy. We are team-mates and I am very happy for him to be P1 and for Citroën Total. This afternoon we have a good chance for a good result and I am really happy for the team.

Q:
Turning to Nicky Catsburg and LADA Sport Rosneft’s representative here. Was that a surprise for you or were you expecting this kind of performance?

NC:
It was definitely a big surprise. I was hoping to get into Q2 after yesterday but to get into Q3 was a big surprise and then I was getting on okay and I thought maybe I could be P5. I think the lap was quite good, especially the last sector. It was good enough for P3 and I am really happy.

Q:
Clearly doing all these races in a row around the world is helping you and you enjoy the jetlag?

NC:
I cannot say I enjoy it and it’s not such a big deal. But I am learning more and more about this car. Qualifying was good but my main challenge will be the race as it has been this season. This was the first weekend I did not focus on qualifying and I do my best qualifying. It was a bit of a surprise but I am more focused on the race.

Q:
And finally turning to John Filippi, the top Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy competitor for the first time this season. You said on Thursday you dreamed of racing here after watching the track on TV so many times during the Chinese Grand Prix. How pleased are you with your performance?

JF:
It’s amazing because I remember three years ago I play on my PlayStation Formula One on this track. I did a very good job today and the team too. We work a lot yesterday and at the end we see this morning it’s very good. We start to work on the set-up in FP0 and after in FP1 we did a mistake on the set-up but after we come back and step-by-step we find a good way. For sure we did the best lap we could but it was a surprise for me.

Q:
You’ll be starting the first race in seventh place, which is your highest starting position so far. Are you apprehensive or excited by that prospect?

JF:
Tomorrow, I mean this afternoon! I don’t have a new plan for the race. I will do the race like before, no big strategy, just go and let’s see.