Present:
Tiago Monteiro, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, Opening Race winner
Mehdi Bennani, Sébastien Loeb Racing, Main Race winner
Tom Chilton, Sébastien Loeb Racing, Opening Race second, Opening Race third
Nicky Catsburg, Polestar Cyan Racing, Main Race second
Rob Huff, ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport, Opening Race third

Q: 
There were two winners today but we'll start with Tiago, winner of the Opening Race here in Hungary. Tiago, obviously a very important result for you, not just winning the race – your second this season – but also from a championship perspective. Please just talk us through your races.

TM: 
Indeed it was a very important win at all levels. We had a very difficult qualifying but we knew that not all was lost. And that we need to score strong points today. Obviously the front row was very important and it was not easy as it might have looked. Because Tom was really strong behind and pushing quite hard the whole race. I was trying to control my tyres performance and trying to make them last because we do feel the 80 kilograms quite a lot today, especially with the heat. But in the end we finished first and that was the key part of the weekend. In the second race we scored more points so it's important to come back, and of course starting ninth - there are a lot of possibilities for accidents as we saw a lot this weekend. So we needed to be out of those. I'm happy with the 5th place, of course. Rob's penalty helped to get one spot but from ninth to sixth on the first lap was the key moment of the second race for me and from then on we were following Tom. Again he had a strong pace - we were close together at the beginning but then he just went away. But overall I'm very happy with the end of the weekend for me.

Q: 
We come next to Mehdi Bennani, the winner of the Main Race. After coming back strongly from the grid penalty in the Opening Race you won the Main Race pretty much from the front although you were struggling with brake issues based on the radio messages. What was happening?

MB: 
Yes, it's very nice for me to have this great result, it reminds me a little bit of the Qatar race last year. The only change is that I had big celebration and my father was there. Now it's a big change. It's a dream race for me. I tried to push for the maximum and two times I had a very soft brake pedal so I was upset because I thought for me it's over, I even can not stop the car. With the engineer we tried to play a little bit with the balance to put maximum braking on the rear and it was going better, but I needed to drift sometimes. Also Huff didn't give me easy life because he was pushing from the beginning of the race. I was trying to make a gap and to give him a message - don't try to catch me I'm also quick. But he stayed on. It's a shame for Rob, because I think it was his race. Like he said yesterday - I'm doing very good starts, but when I know he has a drive-through [penalty] I knew - maybe he will be upset - so that's why I thought he would go somewhere inside. I also didn't want to crash with him, because he went to take the drive-through [penalty] and I was trying to finish my race. I'm sorry for Rob because he deserved it [success] all the weekend and to qualify on pole is not so easy here. Congratulations to all the drivers there, it was a very good weekend and thanks for the show.

Q: 
We come next to Rob Huff. Rob, it's been a very eventful weekend with the DHL pole position yesterday – a fantastic pole, a podium in the Opening Race, but the Main Race didn't go according to plan. You were leading when you received a drive-through penalty. Just explain your race and what happened please?

RH:
Yes, the weekend was fantastic up until the Main Race. We made the pole position which was great. I started the Opening Race ninth and finished on the podium, so the car was great and was working really well. Then in the Main Race I didn't get a great start, I tried to squeeze the cars on the inside a little bit, but wanted to be fair. And then going into Turn 2, I had a Volvo in front of me and another one beside me and effectively I put my hands up – I got it a little bit wrong. I picked my braking point but unfortunately the car in front just braked earlier and I was boxed in, couldn't see the corner and I was trying to judge gap to the car in front, but when you hit someone from behind you got to be, hands up, it's your fault.

Q: 
We'll come next to Tom Chilton. Second in the Opening Race, followed up with another podium in the Main Race with a third place finish, which is a great collection of points this weekend. You must be very satisfied right now?

TC:
It's not often that you can sit here and say you've had a double podium. I've achieved that this weekend. I think the last time I achieved that was at the Nordschleife with second and third and I've got a second and third here. It's been absolutely fantastic for the whole of the Sébastien Loeb Racing. Just to start with qualifying. It's the first time we've had three cars in the top 10. It was fantastic team effort. In the Opening Race I was obviously gutted for my team-mate John Filippi when he stalled. But all of us here have stalled at some point in our lives. Mine was not that long ago. We all make mistakes. To get on the podium and also for my team-mate to win the Main Race is absolutely fantastic. I can see the Volvos improved a lot. I was following Nicky Catsburg who was actually struggling a little bit with the maximum weight. The Honda's I've noticed they did get hurt by the weight, especially towards the end of the race. Congratulations to Tiago, in the Opening Race he fought very hard. I was trying my absolute hardest to get past him but I just couldn't. Every time I got close I lost downforce. Well done to Tiago, great job.

Q: 
Turning to Nicky Catsburg. Nicky, you've waited a few races but finally you've got your first podium of the season. It was a tough race I can imagine with the extra weight in that car. What was it like behind the wheel?

NC: 
Yes, it was definitely hard with the weight, you definitely feel the effect of the 80 kilograms but I must say I'm a bit surprised: our performance was really strong, also compared to the Honda who also had the 80 kg. And now in the Main Race Mehdi was too fast, he was in front, he didn't do any big mistakes so I couldn't overtake, I tried to keep the pressure on. I pushed a lot the whole race and unfortunately he didn't do a mistake. I have to say thanks to Rob that he admitted he touched me, that is very gentleman-like. Unfortunately, I hit my team-mate Nestor which is really unfortunate and I feel bad about that, he deserves to have a good result as well. But obviously I'm very happy with P2. I think we did a very good job for the championship as well. Just we need to beat Tiago for once. When I saw him winning the Opening Race I was, oh no, here he goes again, so hopefully next race we'll beat him.

Q: 
Turning back to Tiago, the next race is at the Nürburgring Nordschleife where you’ll take a 38-point lead. But after last year’s crash how much of a challenge is it going to be?

TM: 
It is the most challenging track we go to and probably the most challenging track in the world. It's definitely a demanding track, special, different to anything else we go to. We change our mindset, we change the car a lot, everything is different. It's only three laps but very intense. I'm going to do as I've been doing at every race weekend – start from scratch and do the best possible. Again, qualifying will be important there. We have improved in so many areas, also our top speeds are much better as we could have seen in Monza. We are confident. It's not going to be an easy challenge and I don't know the weight situation – if it will change or not. Whatever there is, we'll try to be strong, of course.

Q:
We come next to your team-mate Norbi. It wasn't a weekend for you, let's be honest. Just explain the races. The first race there was a real chance for a podium and then we saw your car pulling back to the pits. What actually happened?

NM:
Yes, it was difficult. Having here all the fans I really wanted to give something back. Because they deserve to see a Hungarian driver on the podium. This weekend I was in a position among the two other Hungarians in the championship to claim a podium finish, but unfortunately it wasn't supposed to be like that. The first race was unfortunate, I was fighting for P3. Then between Turn 3 and 4 there was a collision with Thed, we still have to analyse what happened. It was really bad, because from my point of view it wasn't really possible to understand what happened with him, but we will talk together. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe he had something wrong on the car. It's not helping me. In the end it wasn't the best of my starts so far. In Monza it was a bit unlucky, now again in the Opening Race it's a bit unlucky. The championship lead is now a bit far ahead so the main focus for me now is to score a lot of points and if I'm in the position to help Tiago for the rest of the races, and if he will not struggle with bad luck, I think it's the best thing I can do.

Q: 
That sounds like you're giving up on the title, Norbi? We're just a few races into the season...

NM:
No, it's not really giving up on the title. From the team perspective the most important is to win the championship. We don't want to be in the position when it's too late to make a decision. We can not really predict what points in the end will make the difference. Like I said it's not about letting Tiago past at every possible occasion. But I think now with the seven race weekends left we have to be tactical and we really have to work hard together in achieving the title. You can imagine it hurts me the most because before the first race I really thought that with a good season start and with a strong package I'm in a position for the title. And I'm not giving up on the title - it's not about that, but we have to be strong as a team and I have great support from the guys so far. And if I'm in the position to give something back in the future – I'm happy to do that.

Q: 
There were 35,000 fans just today, which is an amazing number. Just a quick word on the support you're receiving this weekend.

NM: 
It's amazing. It's difficult to add anything extra to what I said previously. Just to experience something like that, the atmosphere, the support from the people. We can talk about that but it's just like becoming a father – you can listen to people explaining what it feels like – and it's a bit similar here. I could talk hours and hours about how lucky I am with such people supporting me but I couldn't really explain properly all of what's going on inside of me. Of course, I'm really grateful for all of them coming and I really hope that we can meet soon, hopefully next season.

Questions from the floor

Q:
Morad Moutaouakkil (2M, Morocco) to Mehdi Bennani: For whom will you dedicate this victory?

MB: 
For everybody, even for the drivers who are here with me on the podiums, but I will think about my father first. It's very bad to live through this victory without him and I think that makes me a little bit strong to be back this year as a driver, because I wanted to stop everything in the beginning of the year and to start another business, to stop everything around motorsport. And now I'm happy with this victory because it's giving me power and also I know he will be every time with me. I think everybody knows here he loved motorsport. Huff was there with us in the exhibition race in Rabat so he knew very closely my father. I'm happy today to give him this victory. So it's for sure for my father.

Q:
Szilvia Magyar (Motorzaj.hu, Hungary) to Rob Huff: Rob, could you explain what was this black and white flag for driving standards during the first race was for?

RH: 
No idea, you can tell me, maybe. You get a black and white flag, you don't know what it's for but I got one. I don't know why.