Macau: Qualifying quotes

ROUNDS 19 & 20
QUALIFYING QUOTES

Andy PRIAULX BMW Team UK, pole position
"I really enjoy Macau; it is a special circuit and provides a special challenge. It wasn't just me that got pole, it was the whole team who pulled it together. I totally expected the session to be disrupted with red flags so I knew I had to get 11a quick time straight away. I then used new set of tyres to improve so it wasn't a fluke, it was down to preparation. Is the title in my pocket? No chance! I respect my competitors too much to be thinking that at this stage. My car is very quick and I feel confident but we still have to wait and see what Sunday brings."

Dirk MÜLLER BMW Team Germany, 2nd fastest
"The crash in free practice 1 was a wake-up call. While braking I lost the rear which meant losing control of the car and smashing into the wall. My neck still hurts. That qualifying session was the most chaotic of my career. I was stuck in between two SEATs for a long time which meant I only really had one lap and even that wasn't perfect. This explains why Andy's time was so much better than the rest of the field. My chances for Sunday? Well, there is a long straight and a tight first corner so you never know what will happen."

Yvan MULLER SEAT Sport France, 3rd fastest
"The last time I was here was in 1991. To be honest I still don't know the track off by heart. The car is quick and all the SEATs had the capacity to be at the front but the rain arrived and stopped their chances. The Leon loses some pace on the straights but is pretty quick on the rest of the circuit. Mathematically speaking I have a chance to be champion but realistically it is going to be extremely difficult because there are so many guys who are close. However because it is possible, especially in Macau, we have to think about it."

Jorg MÜLLER BMW Team Germany, 5th fastest
"I'm definitely happy with 5th especially considering I am carrying 75 kg of weight. To be honest I didn't expect it. I am still not happy that there is such a big gap between Andy so we still have to work on the car because it didn't feel as good as in the free practices. Looking forward to Sunday."

Tom CORONEL GR Asia, 6th fastest
"It was crazy racing rather than qualifying out there! My car is good and I was fast by the second free practice which is a good sign for the race. I'm optimistic that we will do a good job in the race. I've always been fast in Macau and now I don't have to think about championship points because I have that in the bag. This means I can attack the factory drivers and use my racing instinct instead of using my head to think of points."

Augusto FARFUS N.technology, 7th fastest
"Our weekend started very badly and we were improving step by step but we know we are lacking something. However, we are pushing and we believe. I will wait until the end of the second race to see who will become world champion, this is my only target."

Fabrizio GIOVANARDI JAS Motorsport, 8th fastest
"I'm having fun because I am not familiar with the Honda so to come to Macau was a lottery. I tried to make a good strategy for the qualifying and it worked well. I managed 8th position even with a small crash on the last corner so I must be happy because the further up the grid you start in Macau the more chance you have of gaining points."

Gabriele TARQUINI SEAT Sport Italia, 9th fastest
"Ninth isn't too bad it could be worse but it could be better. I completely missed the second free practice because of my early crash and the team was still preparing my car as the qualifying was about to begin. This meant I had to join the back of the queue in the pit lane which is not the best place to be. I suffered because of two yellow and two red flags but I'm sure everybody had the same in this lottery session."

Mark BUSFIELD Chevrolet Team Manager
"It has been a case of highs and lows so far. In the practices our cars were at the front but a number of circumstances this afternoon have meant that every time we were about to set a fast lap unfortunately something stopped it. It is a bit disappointing because we know the car is quick, the drivers are quick and the team's quick. We will have to fight from the back to the front on Sunday, it is the best we can do."

-credit: fia wtcc