Citroën’s José María López says that his sole objective in Thailand is to secure the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) title, with team-mate Yvan Muller as the only other driver who can stop him.
López currently holds a 75-point advantage over Muller in the drivers’ championship standings, which means that the Argentine can be crowned champion in Buriram so long as he does not let team-mate Muller outscore him by more than 20 points.
If López were to secure the championship, it would be his second consecutive drivers’ title and he would become only the third driver in WTCC history to claim back-to-back titles, after Andy Priaulx and Muller.
“Obviously, I’m really looking forward to this meeting,” said López. “I have prepared well and I know how many points I need to score to become World Champion. Of course, whenever I get into my Citroën C-Elysée WTCC, I’m aiming for the best possible result. But this weekend, my sole objective will be to secure the title.
“It would be great to do it with a win, but I’ll be trying to stay out of the in-race battles to make sure I get the points I still need. I’ll be battling with myself rather than against my competitors!”
Despite appearing to have cantered off to another comfortable title win in 2015, López insists that his job has been harder than ever, with his rivals increasingly snapping at his heels.
The statistics, however, tell a different story. López has won eight times, the same as at the equivalent stage of the 2014 season, and only failed to stand on the podium in four of 2015’s 20 races so far.
“Since I became World Champion in 2014, my life has changed,” added ‘Pechito’ López. “I get up every morning with a smile on my face and the great time I’m having with Citroën has a lot to do with that.
“People know what I’m capable of now, so I’ve become the man to beat, and that has made my job harder. My rivals – not least my teammates – are better prepared than ever. The standard of the competition has gone up again.
“The statistics might not show it, but I’ve found this season even harder than last year. Winning a second title would make me even happier than I already am!”
Even Muller, López’s only title rival, knows that it is only a matter of time before the Argentine joins him as a multiple WTCC champion.
“Mathematically, I’m still in with a shot in the title race,” added the Frenchman. “But realistically, I don’t think it’s going to happen. I would have to produce two perfect weekends and hope that Pechito went virtually pointless… It seems a little far-fetched! Above all, I will be trying to enjoy myself, to perform well and to win some more races.”