Present:
Ma Qing Hua, Citroën Total WTCC, first position
Yvan Muller, Citroën Total WTCC, second position
Gabriele Tarquini, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, third position
Norbert Michelisz, Zengő Motorsport, fourth position and Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy winner
Tiago Monteiro, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team

Q:
Congratulations Ma, what does it feel like to be a two-time winner in the WTCC?

MQH:
First of all thanks everybody, especially to my team Citroën Racing and my engineer. They have done an excellent job. Yesterday we were planning for the reverse grid second race and the target was to be in the front for race two and I did everything quite good and the team done a good job to make everything happen. I did a good start, good pace in the race to the end. I am really, really happy, I really like this feeling to be back on the top of the podium again.

Q:
While you were pulling away out front there were a few incidents behind you. Did you have any idea of what was happening and how tough was it during the safety car period to keep your call and to keep your car in a good condition for the restart?

MQH:
I didn’t really see what happened behind me but I was really focused on Yvan because he is very fast as well. I was trying to make a gap, trying to keep a clear mind, to do a normal pace to leave a good gap. When the safety car was deployed I was trying to make the tyres work, focus on the restart and after that I was opening a little big gap. Again I just tried to do a good pace to make a gap again to the end of the race.

Q:
What was going through your mind during those closing laps – was it a feeling of nervousness or were you confident you could keep out in front?

MQH:
Yeah I think because at that moment the gap was already quite safe. I was thinking not to do anything crazy and really focus on the track. It’s a street race and a lot of things can happen. I saw some dust on the track and tried to avoid anything strange happening to the end. In the last lap when my engineer told me the race was finished that was fantastic, I was really happy about that.

Q:
How important is this victory for Chinese motorsport?

MQH:
It was another good moment to hear the Chinese national song again at an international top-level championship. I am really happy for all of my country. It’s good news for Chinese motorsport.

Q:
Satisfied with second place or frustrated not to have got a victory here this weekend?

YM:
Yeah satisfied. A podium is always a podium although of course I was expecting a better weekend than that. But unfortunately after the Qualifying I had I couldn’t expect much more than that. I can be pleased. Of course I lost some more points to López but I never give up.

Q:
What actually went wrong for you in Qualifying yesterday?

YM:
I had a big vibration from the beginning and I couldn’t do a proper lap in Q1 then I put on a second set of tyres and it was similar. Then, unfortunately, in Q2 the vibration was still there, there was a red flag but unfortunately I had no more new tyres and I couldn’t do more than that. The vibration was staying all the way through and I didn’t have the chance to fight for the pole position but that’s motor racing.

Q:
What did you think of your team-mate Ma’s performance today?

YM:
He was fast and deserved his victory. I did push hard to come back on him but I couldn’t follow. He was much faster than me and his victory is a real victory and he deserved it.

Q:
Your second podium of 2015 Gabriele after what looked like a tough old race out there. What was it like from your point of view, particularly leaving the grid?

GT:
It was a really shame my weekend start on the wrong way because in Qualifying I had the problem with the fuel and my engine cut off and I couldn’t play. Because of this I was fifth on the grid and I could do a better Qualifying. But, to be honest, to come back on Qualifying it was a very strange Qualifying because in the initial part two cars had an accident and it was only 10 cars in Q2 so, to be honest, I asked to my team manager and Honda to play for the 10^th position – it was very easy to be the slowest car on the track. But the answer was ‘no’, it’s not fair. There are only 10 cars on the track and you must play for the Q3 so I went. I made a good lap. I had a very good car. The first race a really brilliant car, maybe the best of my season because I could push really very hard. I was lucky in the second start because Tiago had a big crash in front of me. He was in the middle of the two LADAs. I was very lucky because I was on the way of Tiago but because of the accident of Tiago there was a big hole so I can go through without any big damage, just a small touch on the front-left. The race was a safety car. I had the pace to attack the LADA in front of me. I ask the timed lap of the first race of the LADA guys and my team answered me that he was 8/10ths slower than me and this is not enough to pass the car in front of me so I tried to go for the third. I had nothing to lose, I can push very hard and I don’t play for the championship. I was really, really attacking, left, right, outside and inside and then I got it and after this it was an easy race for me.

Q:
Obviously thinking ahead to the next round of the championship in Japan and Honda’s home race. Does this result give you a bit of confidence heading into the summer break?

GT:
In this kind of track our car seems very good and with the 30kilos less than Citroën it helped a little bit. If we don’t have long straight and big acceleration our car seems to work very good and we can be competitive with the Citroën. Motegi is more or less like this track, there are not very long straights. It’s my home race, my personal home race because I don’t have an Italian race so for me it’s double effort to do a very good weekend.

Q:
Not a repeat of your race-one podium but still a great result and another win in the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy. Talk us through the race from your perspective?

NM:
It was quite eventful for me. In the first moment I saw Tiago and Gabriele just in front of me. We made very similar starts but then it was very difficult to judge when I saw that Tiago had a crash with a LADA. I should choose my line to not get involved and fortunately I was lucky enough to avoid the two cars. From then I knew it was very difficult for the cars behind me to pass so I tried to do a clever race, easing off at the moments when I realised I stressed my front tyres too much and attack when I just felt that the tyres were coming back to me. The overtaking with Nicky was quite on the edge. I saw Gabriele pressing him and just before the last chicane I tried to do the same move. I was very close to the wall on the inside. At one point we were almost three cars side-by-side. I just felt I had the inside line. I was in front. I think we get some together, I felt a hit on my right rear but I was fortunate enough to collect the car and do the last chicane. From then I just saw Pechito is behind me and like I said in the beginning with a second advantage over a timed lap it’s very difficult to overtake. I just knew I had to be clever and don’t do any mistakes.

Q:
But overall a good positive weekend for you Norbi?

NM:
Yeah it was quite positive. I had a very good feeling with my car and he circuit from the first moment and I had the confidence to push just in the right moment. I am happy to have finished both races. I am happy to have first race podium because I pushed really hard for that in the whole season so we can say in terms of overall points and performance this was a very good weekend for us.

Q:
Firstly are you okay after that first-corner crash?

TM:
Yeah I am okay. I have a bit of a headache but I’m okay. My foot got stuck in the pedals, it’s a bit twisted but it’s fine.

Q:
What actually happened from your perspective?

TM:
I did a very good start and that was the problem actually. I went for the middle of the two LADAs that initially didn’t really move but once they realised they were slowly starting to move but unfortunately both of them in the same direction. They cannot see each other. It’s one of those things. You are on a street track and there is not a lot of room. Each of them tried to move a little bit and I was there in the middle. I was too much already in the middle to back off or anything like this. Maybe we touched a little bit but it happens even on other tracks. But unfortunately I got wheel to wheel with Jaap on the right, it broke my wheel and I just went straight into the wall. If you touch in some other places we would have been able to go through but unfortunately wheel against wheel doesn’t work.

Q:
I guess given the difficulties to overtake on some of the corners around here was it the only option to go for it at the start to get ahead of the two LADAs?

TM:
Yes. It’s the most obvious option to overtake someone at the start when you do a good start. When you do a good start you’ve got to go for it. I could not go to the right initially because Jaap was there and there was not a lot of room against the wall. The only space available really is in the middle. You have momentum and you go for it but unfortunately it was just the wrong time. The fact they both turned in the same direction didn’t help. There is no real blame, it’s one of those incidents.

Q:
But unfortunately you retired right at the start of the race. How frustrating was that for you?

TM:
Very, very frustrating of course. I could see already the possibility of a podium if I pass there and it would have been a great end of the weekend and to especially thank the people for the amazing support all the week. It could have been a great party but also some important points for the championship. Third or fourth would have been very nice, it’s a lost opportunity and lost points and not the way we wanted to finish but I guess it’s like that. Everybody’s fine and the event was great, the second race was quite eventful. I hope everybody liked it. We still have four to go, a lot of points still available so we will push.