José María López admits winning a second FIA World Touring Car Championship title will be much harder than the first due to the increased threat posed by his rivals.
The Citroën Racing ace swept to the WTCC crown at his first attempt in 2014 on the back of a record-breaking haul of 10 wins. However, the Argentine is braced for a big fight in 2015, starting with his home race from 6-8 March.
“The competition is going to be much stronger because the other drivers are going to know me, they will push harder and you can see this already how Honda is pushing more, the Chevrolet drivers and the same in my Citroën team,” said the 31-year-old. “And there is a new car from LADA. I can see much more commitment from my team-mate Yvan [Muller]. He is pushing more and more. The competition is stronger, but at the end of the day I just have to do my best, work exactly the same and be as quick as I was last year.”