José María López not taking race 1 win for granted

José María López took pole position in this morning’s qualifying session in Buriram, Thailand, as well as five crucial points in his quest to win clinch the title as early as Race 1.

Qualifying was not as easy as it seemed for the Citroën driver: “I was at risk of losing access to Q3,” admitted the Argentinian to TouringCarTimes. “I had a problem in the first corner which cost me around 4 tenths, so I knew I had to get a good lap in, which I managed to do after some tweaks to my C-Elysée, so thanks to the team and my engineer.”

The championship leader says his Q3 laps surprised him: “To be honest I was surprised when I was my lap was below the 1:38 barrier. It was a really good lap, I took my precautions in the first two sectors and then just went for it in S3. I think the setup played a big role in that, because my Citroën is more aggressive on the rear and less on the front, so the car is actually more gentle towards the front tyres. Hopefully this will also work in the race.”

When asked about the behaviour he expects from team-mates Sébastien Loeb and Yvan Muller, the Argentinian said: “I think the start will be crucial. If I manage to stay in front at the start I am confident I will be able to keep them behind, because this is a low-grip track and having a car in front means you lose a lot of downforce and therefore suffer from understeer. Anyway I am not taking anything for granted.”

José María López needs to score three points more than Yvan Muller to clinch the title in today’s race 1 in Buriram, Thailand.