Present:
Tom Coronel, ROAL Motorsport, first position, WTCC Trophy winner
José María López, Citroën Total WTCC, second position
Yvan Muller, Citroën Total WTCC, third position

Q:
Congratulations Tom on your first WTCC win since 2013 and your fifth in total. But really congratulations is not enough following your victory. How are you feeling right now?

TC:
I knew I had some chances at street circuits. The Qualifying and Free Practice went already quite well. I qualified P7 so I was not really happy. But the Volvo [of Thed Björk] made a bad start so I knew he would defend from Yvan. Then I saw [Hugo] Valente hitting [James] Thompson quite hard and I said ‘yeah, that’s the boy, thank you’. Then after two laps my team told me he had a drive-through but of course I knew it directly. He had taken a big lead but I said ‘you can go, I’m okay with that’. But then Pechito was playing with me like he should me. I knew he would try to attack, he did in the middle of the race and at the end but also I know braking issues are quite difficult here and I thought he would also have some difficulties and finally he had because I could see in the braking zones his traction was gone and that’s why he tapped me twice but under control because I know he plays for the championship, he’s a fair driver so I’m okay with it. He’s the champion and he should try to attack me. But here I had the benefit of difficult overtaking so I knew it was going to be mine as long as I didn’t make any mistakes and I don’t think I made one.

Q:
With Pechito behind you for so long was it a case of don’t crack under pressure?

TC:
Of course but I’ve raced for 28 years so it was quite in control. I could see he also had difficulties because I made distances and he came back. There were two places where he could try – at the hairpin on the onside but then he had a chance of braking his car and my car. And on the back straight. But on the exit of the corner here I had a little better traction and this was the case. I just tried to look after my brakes because this was the issue but I was on the lead so I had cool brakes.

Q:
You’ve said before that you are here to make other drivers heroes but you were the hero today. What does that mean for the WTCC Trophy that an independent driver can go and win a race outright?

TC:
I am in the championship to make my moment of fame and this is my moment of fame and I hope I can get one more this season, this is my objective. It’s good for my championship points but it’s good for my sponsors because they made this happen that I can be here so that’s the case. This one they can’t take away so I will try once more then I will be happy for the whole season.

Q:
Turning to José, you were pressuring Tom for most of that race. Was there a moment when you could have taken the lead?

JML:
First of all I want to congratulate Tom, he did a fantastic job and he deserved to win so I am very happy for him. I know he has been trying this for a while. He had some accidents and sometimes the luck was not there but today it paid off so I am happy for him. I am happy also for Yvan and for the team because we managed to do a 2-3, which is important at this stage when we are struggling with a heavy car. I knew already before the race it was going to be impossible to pass because the circuit is really narrow and it was a risk. Also it was a risk to stay too close to him because I couldn’t see the wall sometimes and at some times I had problems with the brakes so I had to back out a bit. I attacked but I knew he’s Tom Coronel, he’s not someone who has been racing since yesterday. I knew without a mistake it was going to be impossible so I tried to be in a good position. The important thing for me is I had [Tiago] Monteiro two positions behind me and that’s important for the championship and I had my team-mate behind me and that gave me a lot of confidence. You always want to win but this time it was a very good position when you think we started from seventh position. After seeing the first lap, which was a war, because people didn’t really care about the cars in front. It was a bit strange but we managed to deal with that, we are still alive and still fighting.

Q:
Turning to you Yvan and third place overall. Was this what you’d hoped for or were a surprised?

YM:
For sure it was a surprise because I started in sixth position and finished on the podium by gaining three positions and it can happen only when there is a crash. There were some crashes on the first lap but afterwards it was impossible even if you were faster than the car ahead of you. I am pleased with that but unfortunately my start was too good and because it was too good one car squeezed me and lost me some time. But the race was okay and I was just following Tom and Pechito and I was looking after brake because it’s a real issue over this track.

Q:
You said you were squeezed at the start – you were quite close to your team-mate at one point?

YM:
On this circuit every car is very close because it’s very tight. When you are on the grid you are thinking where can I pass if a car doesn’t start because it’s so narrow and complicated. We were tight but it was a clean battle.

Q:
A bit of pressure from Tiago Monteiro towards the end of the race. Did you feel that at all?

YM:
No.

Questions from the floor:

Q:
Markus Lüttgens (Motorsport-Total.com, Germany) to Tom Coronel: Next we head to the Nürburgring Nordschleife and a track you know very well. What do you expect there?

TC:
This win is quite important to give you the confidence. Also for the other circuits coming. For the Nordschleife I was driving there the other week and I will also drive there this upcoming weekend in the VLN race and the 24-hour race in the Zakspeed Nissan. I know the track but you also need to have the equipment. My car is fast there but I don’t think it’s as fast as these guys. But it all depends a little bit on how you feel at that moment. At this moment I feel quite strong and I should be good for the Nordschleife. It’s one of the coolest circuits and I always go there with a smile and I always drive home with a big smile and even [my wife] Paulien notices these kinds of things so I am happy with it.

Q:
Pietro Casillo (TouringCarTimes, Sweden) to Tom Coronel: You made a good performance here that you probably didn’t expect because you are more inclined to go well on fast tracks. If you could pick a track where you think you can repeat this what track do you think that will be?

TC:
I think I can repeat this kind of things always on street tracks like Vila Real like last year. Last year I was robbed for being closer on the grid to fight for a battle. But for Vila Real I will have a big chance. It’s difficult to overtake and you need to do well in qualifying. It’s very bumpy, very difficult and I like this style, it’s a bit like the Nürburgring and Macau and these kinds of things.