Muller praises SEAT team spirit

The Frenchman added that winning the championship was the perfect answer to the disappointment of losing it in dramatic circumstances at the same track 12 months earlier.

Muller was in a position to win last year's championship until he suffered a fuel pump failure on the penultimate lap of the first race and was unable to start race two.

This time around, he had a 14 point lead over rival and teammate Gabriele Tarquini at the start of the weekend, and finished well ahead of the Italian to secure the crown in the first race.

"Exactly one year ago I came here, I was sitting in this position [points to Tarquini next to him] and I was not happy at all," Muller said. "Finally, one year later I am pleased.

"But at the same time you need a great team to give you that opportunity. SEAT have given me this opportunity."

Muller said that the co-operation between the SEAT teammates had remained strong even when it became clear that they would be fighting each other for the title.

"I have to say thank you to all of my teammates - we all progressed together, we all worked together throughout the season," he said.

"Even in qualifying, we were sharing some information with Gabriele. So that is quite fantastic. There is a real team spirit that we have at SEAT."

The Spanish marque dominated the 2008 WTCC season, winning 12 out of 24 races and wrapping up the manufacturers' championship at the penultimate meeting in Japan.