Yvan Muller says fourth WTCC title is the sweetest yet
Yvan Muller says his record fourth World Touring Car Championship crown was the sweetest yet
The Frenchman said the trials caused by Chevrolet's factory exit, and the work that went into simply securing a spot on the grid, made it one of his most rewarding titles.
He also said the runaway nature of his success - it is the first time the title has been settled three rounds from the end - was entirely unexpected.
"I would say this has a special taste because of everything we had to put in beforehand," Muller told AUTOSPORT.
"Of the four [titles] I have, this is probably the one I prefer most.
"We worked so hard throughout winter to find solutions following Chevy's exit, but one month before the first race at Monza we were still not in.
"Eventually we arrived, at the last minute, but without testing and against a new opponent in Honda.
"We won the first race, took the lead of the championship and have held it ever since.
"I think it is a great story, and a fantastic season."
Muller denied his commanding points advantage reflected a lack of competition that made his championship push a formality.
"I think it's actually one of the hardest titles we've made," he said.
"We've had to change out entire way of thinking and operating, because the money hasn't been like it was in the past.
"The competition was also high - it was just everyone cancelled each other out.
"Where we had a definite top three for the past few seasons, now one day it was [Gabriele] Tarquini, another day [Michel] Nykjaer, another someone else. That was why I was able to build such a gap.
"For sure it was not easy though - being a world champion never is."
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