Muller is exasperated

Yvan, Seat had a difficult weekend in Pau, to say the least. What can you tell us about it?

It was a disappointing weekend because I had bet a lot on this round. It was my national race but also because I am particularly good at this type of track. The last minute change of regulations (the FIA ​​decided to remove the tolerance of 0,4 bars of turbo pressure to establish it at 2,5 bars, editor's note) penalized us a lot and compromised all our chances of appearing at a good place. This kind of situation is already frustrating when it?s a “normal” race, but when it happens at home, it?s even more so.

Since then the FIA ​​has revised its copy. What do you think of the decisions taken regarding turbo pressure, now set at 2,7 bars? Will this be enough to catch up with the Chevrolets?

I do not think so. We just have to take the numbers. After Brazil, Mexico and Marrakech, there was a tenth gap between the BMWs and the Seats. The balance was therefore good. Today, we are still losing 0,2 or 0,3 bars compared to what we had at the start of the season (2,5 bars plus a tolerance of 0,4 bars, editor's note). We will therefore inevitably be a little behind. By working with five drivers at Seat, we might be able to get by in qualifying but in the race, it will be difficult. At the same time, the BMWs have made so many mistakes since the start of the season that anything is possible.

There was a regulation at the start of the season which distributed the ballasts based on an average of the brands' performances during the qualifying session and the race. After three meetings, we were a tenth apart. The problem is that BMW can't do it. They may be the fastest in the race, but they get beaten.

Do you seem to have had enough of all these constant changes from the FIA?

Yes, it’s a real disappointment. Once again, there is a starting rule that is put in place, why keep changing it? We should ask others to put themselves at the level of the best and not penalize Seat. It costs us money every time the FIA ​​changes the regulations. We are forced to hand over money to try to compensate. Every time a turbo modification is required, it requires time on the test bench for the engineers, time for the team to compensate for the loss of power. All this is negative for the championship and its image.

Valencia marks the return to permanent routes? Can you tell us how you envision the race?

It is a fairly winding route. If we do well in qualifying, we will be able to do well. On the other hand, if it is very hot, it will accelerate the wear of the tires and, with our traction, we will have difficulty keeping the BMWs behind.