Soon-to-be triple World Touring Car Champion José María López claims that he simply ‘had more confidence’ than his team-mate Yvan Muller in qualifying, after dominating him by more than eight tenths of a second.
López was once again imperious in qualifying at the Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, where he took his fifth pole of the season.
The result gives López an additional five points in his bid to secure a third consecutive WTCC title, a feat which now looks inevitable given his huge 120-point lead over his nearest rival, Honda’s Tiago Monteiro.
“As always I have to congratulate Citroën, putting four cars in Q3 and getting a 1-2-3 is a fantastic achievement,” said López. “I had a little more confidence in the car than the others in Q3.”
López cited the fact that team-mate Muller couldn’t go faster than his Q2 time as something which gave him an extra boost of confidence as he headed out for his single lap in the one-shot Q3 session.
“The fact that Yvan didn’t improve his lap in Q3 gave me a little more confidence and you don’t have the pressure when he doesn’t improve what he did before. This was a key and that’s why the position you get in Q2 is important because it gives you that advantage.
“Then it was just about putting it all together. I knew I had to do the same in Q2 but a bit better.
“The track was improving and I had a fantastic car today, everything I needed. It’s teamwork, not only me and thank you to them.”
Sunday’s Opening Race kicks off at 14:35 local time (06:35 BST, 07:35 CEST).