Norbert Michelisz, 1st
“You cannot wish for anything more. I did my best. I pushed for 12 laps like crazy and fortunately I was able to build enough of a gap. We had made the plan for the swap before the race. It wasn’t an easy decision, but because of the threat from behind we agreed we needed to do anything possible to do a 1-2. We agreed that if whoever was in front didn’t feel as competitive as the car behind, we would swap positions. We have two cars for the full season, so we can’t leave any points on the table, we really wanted to start the season in the best possible way. Tomorrow, we start in the middle of the pack, so the important thing is to score points.”
Mikel Azcona, 2nd
“I’m happy to close the strategy and meet our target which was P1 and P2. And we managed it pretty well. My start was very good, and I was able to do a clean first lap which was the target for the beginning. Then when I was second, the blue cars were very strong, and Yann especially in the first sector. They were very competitive for their first race; we knew their level and that they would be there. I didn’t know I set the fastest lap, so It’s good to gain one position tomorrow. We don’t know what the strategy will be, but we will do the best for the team.”
Yann Ehrlacher, 3rd
“It’s not bad. Our qualifying was good; we had good pace, but it was difficult to put a whole lap together. It’s a good comeback to be honest, after my injury in the winter it’s been a long time since I’ve been in the car, so I’m happy to be the lead driver of the blue cars with no testing. I’m very happy with this podium, and it’s the first one for Geely, which is very important for China. We have some strengths, but they’re 6km/h faster than us in the straight, which is bit a shame as there was no way to make a move. Everyone’s working very hard on all the cars, all the teams, all the drivers, but if the speed could just be a little closer, the racing would be more fun.”
Picture: WSC/Fastclick
