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The new WTCC champion José Maria López revealed how touched he was by Sébastien Loeb and Yvan Muller's warm welcomes when he arrived at Citroën.
Indeed, the prospect of entering his first full season in the WTCC, in a new team and with two illustrious teammates such as Loeb and Muller must have been daunting for López. But against all odds, he prevailed.
Actually, he didn't just prevail. He dominated the 2014 season, as everyone knows now.
Between them, Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb have 13 world championships. Yet, together, they only score a total of 6 wins, three less than what López managed on his own.
But Friday night, during the FIA's prize-giving gala in Qatar, the Argentinian revealed he was almost intimidated by Loeb and Muller.
"I arrived on the first day of the Valencia test and I saw Sébastien coming," López remembers. "I'm from Cordoba so I lived rally for many years, I used to go two days before the stages with a tent, with my friend, making a barbecue, waiting for the cars to come.
"To be honest in the beginning I wanted to make a picture with him all the time! But at the same time I was saying ‘no I have to keep cool, we are working'. Honestly, even with Yvan it was a little bit the same.
"The good thing is they received me in the team and they put me next to them like I'm one more. I felt like I was in the family already for a long time. That helped me, you know, for starting the season in strong shape.
"So the team was great, Sébastien, Yvan, everybody was very kind with me."
Indeed, the prospect of entering his first full season in the WTCC, in a new team and with two illustrious teammates such as Loeb and Muller must have been daunting for López. But against all odds, he prevailed.
Actually, he didn't just prevail. He dominated the 2014 season, as everyone knows now.
Between them, Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb have 13 world championships. Yet, together, they only score a total of 6 wins, three less than what López managed on his own.
But Friday night, during the FIA's prize-giving gala in Qatar, the Argentinian revealed he was almost intimidated by Loeb and Muller.
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| Sébastien Loeb and Yvan Muller should look up to José Maria López in 2015 because he's the boss (Photo: WRI2) |
"I arrived on the first day of the Valencia test and I saw Sébastien coming," López remembers. "I'm from Cordoba so I lived rally for many years, I used to go two days before the stages with a tent, with my friend, making a barbecue, waiting for the cars to come.
"To be honest in the beginning I wanted to make a picture with him all the time! But at the same time I was saying ‘no I have to keep cool, we are working'. Honestly, even with Yvan it was a little bit the same.
"The good thing is they received me in the team and they put me next to them like I'm one more. I felt like I was in the family already for a long time. That helped me, you know, for starting the season in strong shape.
"So the team was great, Sébastien, Yvan, everybody was very kind with me."