Citroën Racing Team Principal Yves Matton says he is anticipating an “open and closely contested” season in the 2016 World Touring Car Championship, citing changes in all of the other manufacturer teams as the reason.
The 2015 – 2016 off-season saw a raft of changes in Citroën’s WTCC rivals, with Honda signing ex-LADA driver Rob Huff and leading independent Norbert Michelisz into its expanded ranks.
That left LADA to take on Gabriele Tarquini and up-and-coming racer Hugo Valente, whilst elsewhere Volvo Polestar joining the competition will add further competition.
“With several big-name drivers switching teams and a new manufacturer in the mix, this FIA WTCC season looks set to be open and closely contested,” said Matton. “We are delighted about that, but we will still be aiming to claim as many wins as we possibly can and to retain our Manufacturers and Drivers titles!
“Our team also has a new look, with two official Citroën C-Elysée WTCCs and three private cars. Alongside Pechito [López] and Yvan [Muller], we will be counting on Mehdi [Bennani], Tom [Chilton] and Grégoire [Demoustier] to notch up plenty of points, both in MAC3 and in the races.”
Matton drew optimism from the fact that Citroën again dominated pre-season testing, with José María López setting the pace in Vallelunga.
“Results in testing aren’t the be-all and end-all, but it is worth noting that we did clock the seven fastest times over eight sessions in Vallelunga. That was doubtless no accident, but testament to the work the whole team put in over the winter. I hope we leave the Paul Ricard Circuit with a convincing result: in other words, a win!”
López adds that he expects the increase in compensation weight introduced for 2016, up from 60 kg to 80 kg, to be a big handicap when it comes to defending his title with the team.
“I’m really excited about beginning a new season, it’s one of my favourite times of the year,” said López. “After all the work we have done in recent months, the slate has been wiped clean and we can’t wait to see how we measure up against the competition. The only thing I know for sure is that we have put in some great work. But we’ll have to wait for qualifying, when everyone will put on new tyres at the same time, to get a real idea of the hierarchy.
“The 80kg of ballast will certainly be a big handicap, and might cost us over a second a lap on some circuits. It’s going to be tough, but we’re prepared for it.”
Meanwhile Yvan Muller admits to being a little ‘race rusty’ after an unusually quiet winter for the Frenchman.
“I haven’t competed for four months – that’s too long for me,” said Muller. “I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of my Citroën C-Elysée WTCC for a racing weekend.
“We don’t know yet how good our rivals are, but we will definitely suffer during the first two meetings. Any predictions at this stage are based solely on speculation. A win might be hard to achieve, but we need to do the best we can and see how the pecking order stands.”
The WTCC season begins at Circuit Paul Ricard in the South of France on April 1 to April 3.