Citroën drivers fear heat and balance issues for the races

Yvan Muller finished qualifying in second place behind his Citroën Total WTCC team-mate José María López by 1.2 seconds, but was happy with the result after initially struggling in qualifying, believing the the increasing heat had dramatically changed the behaviour of the circuit throughout the day, with the hot and humid conditions expected to continue into tomorrow.

“After Q1 I was only P8, as I was really not happy with the balance of my car,” said Muller. “The track has changed completely and I was really struggling to find the balance.

“(I’m not happy though as) second place is not as good as the first one. At the end (of the session) I had good pace, but I have to do better.”

López meanwhile secured his fourth consecutive pole position in the WTCC, and the eighth of his career (from 14 opportunities) with the fastest time at Termas de Río Hondo, but his main attention is on the continued heat.

“We arrive here at a track which we know, and a track I would have wished to begin the championship, because it’s the one I know the most,” said López after qualifying.

“Tomorrow, the approach is basically the same. I’ll try to do my best and work with the car, see what the weather is and try to do a good start….it’s especially interesting with the weather; it’s very hot already in qualifying, so I think it’s going to be one of the main concerns for tomorrow.”