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Michelisz plays down Muller feud ahead of home WTCR event

Norbert Michelisz insists he has no problem with Yvan Muller either off-track or on amid recent unfavourable comments from fans about the Frenchman ahead of this weekend's WTCR Race of Hungary.

The four-time World Touring Car champion upset a large section of Hungarian motorsport followers when he appeared to allow Tiago Monteiro to overtake him in the 2016 WTCC season finale in Qatar, a move that effectively gifted the Portuguese - Muller's close friend - third place in the final standings at Michelisz's expense.

And their dislike of arguably touring car racing's most successful driver boiled over three weeks ago when Michelisz and Muller collided at the start of Race 3 in Morocco as Muller returned to full-time racing in fine form.

"We don't have any problem at all with each other," said Hungarian Michelisz, who like Muller is racing a Hyundai i30 N TCR in the WTCR - FIA World Touring Car Cup presented by OSCARO. "We met sometimes on the circuit and it wasn't always a lucky moment but we are both clever enough and mature enough to be able to separate things that happen on the circuit from things that should happen off the circuit."

BRC Racing Team driver Michelisz continued: "I honestly hope my message to the fans to be fair and to treat him in a sporty way will have its effect. It's really important we represent ourselves in a way that's good for the sport because no one should ever have a problem of being treated in a bad way or in danger of getting hurt. Although he doesn't have the biggest number of fans in Hungary, people have the respect for him he should get as a four-time world champion. And also during the race weekend I will do my very best to take care of him in a good way because I find it very important that he doesn't come to Hungary with a bad feeling in terms of how the fans are treating him."

Zdroj: fiawtcr.com