Two French motorsport megastars, Sebastien Loeb and Yvan Muller, will go head-to-head for the coveted runner-up spot in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) when the 2015 season reaches its climax in Qatar on Friday night.
Separated by five points in the current standings in ex-world rally star Loeb’s favour, this is what the Citroen Total WTCC team-mates really think of each other as revealed in an interview published earlier this year.

Sebastien, what was your first memory of Yvan?
Loeb: It was when he was doing Trophée Andros. At this time it was quite famous in France and I heard more about him from this than from racing because I was not interested in racing or rallying, but Trophée Andros we heard about as he was also an Alsatian. We are from the same region and he was on the top in his discipline.

And what about you Yvan, when do you recall meeting Sebastien?
Muller: It was at an ice race meeting. We were in the same club for the licence and our club president came with him. He was starting rally and the president came and said that’s the future star of rally and he was right. He came to see if I could do something to introduce him to Opel because I was driving for Opel at that time. It didn’t happen but we try.

Who is better, you or Sebastien?
Muller: How can I answer that?!

We thought racing drivers believe they are the best?
Muller: No, no, not at our age!
Loeb: I am better than him in rallying, he is better than me in racing.

What about your home region of Alsace – is there something in the water that means it produces such good racing drivers?
Muller: Sauerkraut! It’s a speciality of Alsace. It’s probably this.
Loeb: I didn’t eat so much of that so maybe beer.
Muller: But I don’t drink beer. Maybe that’s why he’s nine-time world champion and I am only four. Alsace has always a culture of motor racing. Bob Wollek at his time. Bugatti is done at Alsace. The Peugeot factory is near Alsace. Bruno Spengler is from Alsace, he’s not Canadian.
Loeb: Vettel was born not far from Alsace!

What do you like about Sebastien?
Muller: Before, he was doing rally and I was doing circuit and we met maybe two or three times in the year for the FIA prize-giving or some event like this. What I like about him is his way to be. But I don’t enjoy having to wait for him because he is never on time! No, I have to say he’s always on time but always 10 minutes late, so in the end he’s on time but on his time! The problem is I am always a bit early and he’s a bit late. I like his way to be in terms of stress or managing some moment of racing or life.

What about Yvan, what are the good things about him?
Loeb: What is clear with him is you know what he thinks. He’s straight and direct and if he doesn’t enjoy something you will know. It’s nice to work with guys like that so you know it’s fair and clear and you get on well. On the track each driver is trying their best. I enjoy working with him.

How much of a help has he been to you since you started in the WTCC?
Loeb: For sure, to have him in the team helps us to grow up quicker and improve the car because of his experience of the races and the discipline. To be able to compare my data with him… he gives me a lot of advice and I know he’s the best reference around.

Sebastien’s experience in circuit racing is much less than yours Yvan, so when he is quicker than you, is that a problem for you?
Muller: It’s not a problem for me. Okay, his experience of circuit racing is not big as mine, but he is a nine-times world champion and this is not by chance. If you look at his career already on the circuit it is big. He finished second in the Le Mans 24 Hours and I didn’t. In terms of driving he doesn’t have much to learn from me. He has the capacity to analyse, to change his style of driving.
If there was a bit of on-track contact between you two, do you think you could resolve it quite quickly afterwards?
Muller: It happened in Shanghai last year. We forget it. But I still have a credit!
Loeb: He didn’t destroy my car but he put me on the grass so it is only a half credit!
Muller: It’s the race. It’s not very often it happens but it happens. If it would be every meeting then it would be different of course.
Loeb: Everybody is allowed to do a mistake. He did the same mistake as me in the next meeting on Hugo Valente. It’s even more difficult for us because usually we are fighting between team-mates. And for me it is much more difficult to be fighting with a team-mate. You don’t want to crash into him but sometimes you still have to try to pass and the situation is more complicated like that.
Muller: In Shanghai of course I was upset, but I was more upset to have lost some points in the championship than to have been pushed by him. Okay, it happens, and it’s the same if it was another one. I knew it was not on purpose but I also knew the next time there would be more caution. That’s the important thing.

If you were to invite Sebastien to your home for dinner what would you cook for him?
Muller: “I will bring him to a restaurant, I will not cook.”

So you are not a good cook?
Muller: No, no, not at all.

Would you be happy to pay for him?
Muller: Yes, no problem.

And you Sebastien, are you able to cook?
Loeb: I am not able to cook anything else than BBQ so it would be that or a restaurant.
Muller: To be honest, if he invited me to eat and his wife is not at home I would propose to him to go to the restaurant. (FIAWTCC.com)