Present:
Yvan Muller, Citroën Total WTCC, first position race one
Tiago Monteiro, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, first position race two
José María López, Citroën Total WTCC, second position race one
Rob Huff, LADA Sport ROSNEFT, second position race two
Gabriele Tarquini, Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, third position race one
Norbert Michelisz, Zengő Motorsport, third position race two, Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy winner race two
Tom Chilton, ROAL Motorsport, Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy winner race one

Q:
After such a brilliant second race we really should start with Tiago. Race two was fantastic, really something else, but even better for you. How pleased were you with that victory today?

TM:
It’s been way too long so I’m very pleased for myself, of course, but also for the whole team. We’ve been fighting and working like crazy like everybody has to so all these results are a huge boost and a huge congratulations to everybody. I didn’t do an amazing qualifying and wasn’t confident at all but the race pace was good and the hot weather also played in our favour a bit. I was able to manage the race when you have a good start and you just control. But it wasn’t easy with pressure from Norbi for the first few laps. I didn’t want to push too hard but I was also trying to get away from the others. Then there was this yellow car coming very quickly towards the end. Rob was very, very fast in the middle of the race and had caught up. And I had to push really hard for the last six laps but the car behaved very well and I’m very happy with that but we need to keep pushing. Congratulations to everybody and I’m happy it was a good race at the back with a lot of fights, which is good for the show and thanks to everybody for being here and supporting us.”

Q:
Now there were two winners this weekend and Yvan Muller won the first race. The race looked a bit more straightforward but your performance was incredible, pushing hard from the start with no mistakes. How pleased were you with your drive in the first race?

YM:
I have the best car on the track, the Citroën car is a fantastic car and even with the weight we can stay in the front but only by a little. I did a good start and then I pushed hard for the first three laps and then I just saved a little bit the tyres while still pushing. Step-by-step I was able to pull out a bit on Pechito and it was good to save my tyres and go to reach the end of the race with a victory.

Q:
Race one for you was not bad but race two didn’t quite go to plan when you jumped the start…

JML:
My start was too good. I don’t want to be too hard on myself. In race one I made no mistake but it was a mistake in the second. The good thing about mistakes you properly learn from that and you improve. Congratulations to everyone. I think they were too fantastic races. Yvan was very strong today. I was trying to catch him but I was losing too much downforce. I really pushed hard but I played my card on the first lap to get past. After that I saw I could not catch him and I didn’t have the right set-up to be close to him. I was pushing and didn’t relax and it was a good first race. In the second race you think maybe it’s going to be okay but the rules are rules and after five laps my engineer told me it was a drive-through. I tried to get my focus and tried t pass some cars but it was not a good second race for me.

Q:
A great weekend for Honda and a good first race for you with third place – but what happened in race two?

GT:
Race one was really frustrating because I see immediately the two guys in front of me were faster than me and there was no chance to overtake. I tried and I hoped to maintain third position because Rob was very fast and it was not easy, especially with my speed. But the car was very good and I was very pleased from testing that the car was very good, the chassis was very good. I tried to attack very strong in the second race and in the twisty part of the track it was very good. I took three or four cars in front of me with Rob. I fight a lot with Rob and after I had contact with Catsburg and I think I broke my rear wishbone and the car spun and I crashed. But I was okay.

Q:
Seventh on the grid to second place in LADA’s home race and in the race sponsored by ROSNEFT – can you explain how you achieved such a fantastic result?

RH:
The car was just amazing. All weekend we improved the car, improved the car and it’s been getting faster and faster and with that easier to drive as well. Race one was really good following Gabriele all the way. He was just a bit quicker in the tighter corners and that didn’t allow me to make too much of an attack. About five laps to go he made a small mistake in turn six and that allowed me to get the nose up the inside a little bit but nothing more than that. It was quite straightforward. In race two my team-mate, who did a fantastic job, was only making his second start in the car and he struggled a bit. I saw Valente and knew he hasn’t made some of the best starts and then Tom behind him and I knew I had only one option and that was to go on the outside. There was a big battle at the front. I managed to get past Ma and then I came up to Nicky who moved out of the way because he knew I was quicker than him and that obviously allowed me to catch Norbi and Tiago. I made a good move on Norbi and caught him by surprise a little bit and it seems the LADA was a bit stronger than it has been in the past so a fantastic weekend for us. It was a great result here in Moscow.

Q:
And with a couple of more laps could that first victory of 2015 have been yours?

RH:
I’m not sure.

TM:
No way!

RH:
Tiago was driving superbly. I could see I’d been working the tyres seriously hard and could feel they were starting to drop off. I just wanted to make a gap to Norbi. I pushed myself but there was nothing really to gain and then I still would have had to try to pass him. But this is where our season started now. The car is finally altogether, we made it stronger and you can see how fast we were today so now we’re moving forward.

Q:
You mentioned Norbi a few times there so turning to Norbert Michelisz, our winner of the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy in race two. What’s your view on the move by Rob – was it fair?

NM:
I’ll be honest with you. Before that I knew he had an advantage with the speed so it was only a matter of time before he would pass me. Hopefully I wasn’t unfair because that moment he was quicker than me. I was using my tyres a little too much and it was easy for Rob to pass me there. It was a nice move and I would really like to congratulate him because he really drove a fantastic race. The advantage he made in the middle of the race was just amazing to see. At the beginning of the race I chose a strategy to attack. I knew that my car is capable of going faster and I just wanted to be there in the case Tiago made a small mistake. But in the end he did really good and congratulations to him. I think I used my tyres too much and in the end I had to sacrifice something and that was second place.

Q:
But you’ve scored more points for your Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy campaign, which was of course your ultimate objective this weekend?

NM:
The objective was to score a podium actually. You keep an eye on the Yokohama Trophy but I am looking much more to the overall standings and to score a podium in the race. If I am in a position where I can win the Yokohama Trophy later in the season maybe I will do some tactics to score more points there. It’s satisfying to still be leading the Yokohama Trophy after this weekend but the big focus is on achieving good overall results.

Q:
A great result for you in race one and then some good battles for you in race two particularly against some of the Citroën drivers – can you summarise your two races?

TC:
Race one was relatively simple. I basically got to turn one in P6 and that’s where I finished. The main objective for me was to keep Norbi behind me because he’s also an independent and we’re fighting in that championship. I finished as high as I felt I could in that race. Race two on the other hand was one of the most exciting races ever. Me, Muller and López should be sponsored by Polyfilla, the stuff you put on the walls when you’ve got holes or gaps because I don’t think there was any space out on track when we were two or three abreast some times. It was extremely exciting and at one point down the whole of the back straight I was waving to them, one on my left, one on my right thinking they were both going to pass me and then suddenly the aerodynamics started working and I started accelerating so I had to get my hands back on the wheel and change into sixth gear. That whole race was very, very exciting from start to finish. We weren’t able to fight for first, second or third but we’ve done a fantastic job with 40 kilos of ballast and set some really good times.

Q:
Back to our race winners and starting with you Tiago, what now for the next race in Slovakia – will we see the performance of the Honda continue for those two races?

TM:
Slovakia Ring is also a track where we usually go quite well and it should suit our car and we’re quite confident. We’re keeping on with the development and the hard work and fine-tuning everything. Hopefully we can take advantage of that race and that track. I’m looking forward to it, really.

Q:
It’s now 45 points behind you and José. Is the championship still alive?

YM:
Of course it is but 45 points is a lot.

JML:
Thirty-five.

YM:
Thirty-five is less, it’s good. At the moment it’s too many but the season is too long and everything is still possible.

Q:
José, you obviously had the chance to meet the FIA President Jean Todt this morning. What did you talk about and what did you think of him coming to see you all race this weekend?

JML:
It’s very important for our series to have the president of the FIA here, especially for me because I have a very good relationship with him. I work with his son, Nicolas. Especially for the series and for us he shows his support and it’s very important to have him and I look forward to seeing him in the next races. But of course he’s everywhere, at F1 races, WTCC, Formula E races but he still finds the time to be with us and that’s very important for us.

Q:
The final word to Rob as it’s LADA’s home race. You said on Thursday in the press conference in Moscow that the race here in 2013 was the best ever. How does that second race today compare?

RH:
Definitely very high up! It was one of those races where you couldn’t have chosen a plan because things were happening in front of you all the time and you either took the right decision or the wrong decision. Today we made all the right decisions but just a huge thanks to the team. The boys, everyone involved has worked so hard to get this car. It’s been a frustrating start to the season after how last year ended with us winning in Macau. Then obviously with the new car we showed fantastic pace in Argentina in Q1 and pretty much since then we’ve had absolutely rotten luck. This weekend has not been completely straightforward but it’s been a lot more simple than the other weekends. The team have been back in the hotel by 2100, which is something that’s never happened before. The car, the whole package is really starting to come together. It’s definitely starting for us.