WRC – Rally Sweden – Post-event press conference
FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team – Ott Tänak (EST), Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team – Martin Järveoja (EST), Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team – Craig Breen (IRL), Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team – Thierry Neuville (BEL), Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team – Richard Millner, Team Principal
Q:
Ott, how are you feeling at the end of the event?
OT:
It was a good win. It was a bit of an emotional one. There was a bit of – how do you say? – tension as well over the weekend. We came to the rally actually without, I wouldn’t say expecting too much but actually we were not expecting anything. We didn’t know what to expect. We just came here and just had to see what can we do. The first day went quite OK, we were not so far away and then from there we tried to manage our pace and push the other guys.
Q:
It’s been an incredible battle throughout the whole weekend. How happy were you behind the wheel this time around and how adapted do you feel you are now to the Puma?
OT:
It definitely took a bit of time in the beginning to get myself adapted to the car, and it was a bit challenging. But I would say already by Saturday I understood what I needed to do to do some good times. Let’s say we were never really winning stages, but we were always there and it seemed like our strength this weekend was we were keeping our average pace high and every stage we were able to be close to whoever was winning the stage. It was just that the other guys were going a bit better.
Q:
You went into today facing a big battle with Craig Breen. What was the thought in your head to the approach you were going to give it today?
OT:
This morning we continued in the same rhythm we finished yesterday and we had done the previous two days. I knew I didn’t have too much extra to give, but for the morning this was enough. In this kind of situation it is always the morning loop that is going to decide which way the gap is going, and let’s say we were lucky it was growing. So after this we could manage a bit already.
Q:
A great success always comes with a slight downside, in the sense you will now be first on the road in Mexico because you are now championship leader. It’s going to be a tough job.
OT:
Yeah, Mexico is always a challenge. But we shouldn’t think about this today! We will stress about this in the next couple of weeks. But today myself, Martin and all the team can enjoy a bit and enjoy the moment.
Q:
Talk to me about the team. It’s great to see a win for the team and your first one back with them. What’s it been like as an experience so far being back at M-Sport, now that you have pretty much experienced every team in the service park?
OT:
For myself, as you can see I have been able to experience just the positives. For the guys in the service park I guess it’s been a bit of stress for them as well. Definitely I have been pushing them hard to be as perfect as possible, but that’s how it goes. There is no win that is coming easy. We all need to put our best effort in and only this weekend make it happen.
Q:
Martin, a brilliant win on the board here at Rally Sweden. How are you feeling right now after it all? Pretty exhausted, I’m sure.
MJ:
To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed because I had just sat down in a nice warm sauna when I was called to attend here!
Q:
Thanks for that! I’m really unhappy to disappoint you!
MJ:
But other than that it was a good weekend. Enjoyable roads. Yeah, it was a good victory.
Q:
Maybe press conferences in saunas is the way forward in the future!
MJ:
I will attend, for sure, all the time!
Q:
From your co-driver seat, how stressful was it out there or was it pretty straightforward?
MJ:
Pretty straightforward. I can’t complain about anything. It was nice, like I said. Enjoyable rally.
Q:
And for you being a part of the M-Sport Ford team, what’s it been like so far?
MJ:
The experience is so far good.
Q:
No complaints? If there are we’ll take it up with Richard behind you…
MJ:
I will write to him!
Q:
Craig, second position overall. It almost wasn’t though. We did see a team order come in and you did check into the regroup pre the Power Stage one minute late. But it all turned around on the Power Stage. How happy are you to be in second position right now?
CB:
Look, it wasn’t the intention in the Power Stage. We made a decision as a team before then to allow Thierry the best possible chance to have the second place. Obviously it’s an important part of the project this year that Thierry has a good chance of the drivers’ championship. It worked out the way that it did, it obviously wasn’t my intention. You have no information in the car of how he is doing in the stage. I’d only six seconds to Kalle behind and trying to understand what it is to be on the pace and dropping six seconds on the Power Stage like that is impossible. It worked out the way that it did and that’s the way it is unfortunately.
Q:
You’ve led the rally here, you were in second position, down to third at one point. We almost thought it could be fourth if Kalle Rovanperä really put his foot down on the Power Stage. It’s been an incredible rally for your first back in the WRC this season.
CB:
Yeah, it’s been nice. Honestly, I needed it for my own state. It’s been a rough old couple of months, over a year basically. I won’t say I lost the confidence, but for sure it was difficult to keep the belief all the time. But for this weekend to be fighting at the front, already on Friday it was great but there was still some doubt with our road position. As much as everybody else was questioning it I was questioning it myself as well. Until you are at a level playing field with your competitors you can’t really be sure. But to continue to speed into Saturday and again today we have to be really happy. It just leaves me hungry for the future now.
Q:
And when are we going to be seeing you next?
CB:
Well I’m going to play with my Portuguese friends for the next while. I think I have two Portuguese rallies before I’ll be back in the world championship again. We’ve done all that we could this weekend to earn our place back in the team again. Of course Mexico is next. I think if you don’t take Dani [Sordo] to Mexico he’ll cry, it’s like his second home! For sure he’ll have a good road position there on a rally he knows very well and let’s hope he can bring back some points there as well. He has a bit of pressure now, to be fair, so he has to deliver!
Q:
What is the target for your next ERC round?
CB:
Eat loads of tarts, nice fine red wine and a bit of sunshine! And sure, if we can win the championship it would be a bonus.
Q:
Thierry, third position. Let’s talk about the tactic first of all. As a full-time driver the team had given you a bone basically and said ‘he you go, you can have second, but unfortunately it didn’t play out the way that you hoped on the Power Stage.
TN:
To be honest, I didn’t come here to talk about tactics, I wanted to talk about our great weekend we had which we didn’t expect, to be honest. We came here, I was sick before the rally, I missed my pre-event test which I actually handed over to Craig. I started very difficult on shakedown, I was still feeling bad. Friday morning, a difficult loop, running second on the road we knew we had a huge disadvantage. We were able to keep close to the leaders, only 30 seconds adrift which gave us the opportunity to have a better road position on Saturday and fight very hard, setting four fastest times out of seven and catching back third position on Saturday evening. Today was all about defending it.
Q:
You were coming under pressure though from Kalle Rovanperä who wanted to edge closer to you, but first thing this morning you were making sure that wasn’t a possibility. How much on your limit were you on that first stage and how much did the tyre tactics you played then make a difference?
TN:
I think at the end of Saturday my tyre strategy and also this morning made a difference. I knew this morning that Kalle would be fast anyhow, the first pass conditions they have always been very strong, but I also knew on the second pass conditions we could be faster without taking too much risk and taking care of the tyres, and that’s what we did. But then suddenly on the Power Stage I just did a set-up change and they didn’t work out, and obviously I didn’t feel as confident as I felt on all the other stages and messed it up in the Power Stage. We missed a great opportunity there but that’s part of the game.
Q:
It is a part of the game and I know you said you didn’t want to talk about the tactics that played out. You did have a great weekend, you told me that, but that was a big part of the day today and they have come in quite early. That is quite a decisive move from Hyundai, but it’s decisive in your favour.
TN:
I don’t think it’s so decisive, it’s part of the efforts from the team and our targets are clearly shown. Craig also knows he’s in a position where he doesn’t do the full championship, he’s there to help the team whenever they request. Obviously I got an opportunity, I wasn’t capable of making the best out of it this time. But nevertheless we had a fantastic weekend, despite the conditions.
Q:
Richard, a win for M-Sport, you must be delighted. It was huge effort to get back Ott and Martin and it has paid off.
RM:
Yeah, I think it would be impossible to say anything but being very happy after what’s happened here. To win on only the second event with Ott and Martin back in the team is fantastic for us, and it’s very special for me, for Malcolm, but also for everybody else involved in the team. Everybody worked incredibly hard again over the winter to make sure we could give these guys everything they need, and they have paid us back pretty well today. We’re a pretty happy team.
Q:
Were there any concerns over the weekend? We’ll talk about Loubet in a moment, but were there any stresses at all as regard to these two in front?
RM:
As Ott said, he always keeps us stressed! I think pushing us is the way forward though, you know? If everything was perfect we’re not doing our job good enough because there is always something you can improve on. There’s a few things to do. I’m waiting on Martin’s email now! Which I’m sure will be long enough! But we have just got to keep working together as a team. We’ve got to keep improving. The other teams are pushing us all the way as well, so it’s not going to be easy. But this is the start of the season we wanted and the way we need to approach the rest of the year.
Q:
You can’t throw me that bone and expect me not to ask. What’s this email, Martin?
RM:
Like he needs extra stuff in the recce car and for me to spend more money on things, and this kind of stuff, you know?
Q:
So it’s Martin who is the diva rather than Ott?
RM:
Oh, Ott’s easy!
Q:
Martin, anything to say to defend yourself?
MJ:
Hopefully it doesn’t go to the junk mail!
RM:
A rule that has already been put in! I haven’t had a mail off you in two weeks…
Q:
Talk to us about Pierre-Louis Loubet, there seemed to be some drama for him on the Power Stage where he stopped, he thought the car might have been on fire, got the fire extinguisher out and they completed in electric mode. What was going on?
RM:
Unfortunately it looked like they had some kind of powertrain issue which we need to investigate. But the important thing is he has got to the end of the event which is great for him. I think it was a good showcase of EV. Honestly, we would not have been able to finish the stage previously, so it’s a great example of how we are moving the championship forward. But obviously not the way we wanted to finish, but I think it was important for Pierre to have a strong weekend on a surface he is not overly confident on. And now we go into the more normal kind of events, gravel and Tarmac events that we expect him to be stronger on. It’s great for him to get this weekend out of the way.
Q:
Finally, a word on Mexico because it is a tough ask for anyone first on the road or in the first three places. What is the thinking heading to Mexico?
RM:
As Ott said, today and for the rest of this weekend is to enjoy what we’ve done. Many people have got good results from first on the road and we know the challenges that come with that, but we shouldn’t start to make excuses or look for negatives as to starting first. I think we’ve got to look at the positives. We are starting first because we are leading the championship and that for us is the most important thing.
Questions from the floor:
Christoffer Lindén, Vasabladet (FIN)
Question for Ott. Nice performance this weekend and you are the championship leader now. What do you think about the performances from Neuville and Rovanperä who are closest behind you?
OT:
Obviously they were in a very difficult situation on Friday. I would say Friday was definitely the worst with the road cleaning, especially the first twisty stage we had. It was terrible last year, it was terrible this year. It’s always in the snow where the first loop is quite OK and an even playing field, but the second loop they are always tricky. So maybe we should do a snow rally sometime where we don’t have any second loop stages!
FIA SUPPORT CHAMPIONSHIPS
FIA WRC2 CHAMPIONSHIP
Oliver Solberg (SWE), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2
FIA WRC2 CHALLENGER CHAMPIONSHIP
Toksport WRT – Sami Pajari (FIN), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2
FIA WRC3 CHAMPIONSHIP
Roope Korhonen (FIN), Ford Fiesta Rally3
FIA JUNIOR WRC CHAMPIONSHIP
William Crichton (IRL), Ford Fiesta Rally3
Q:
Oliver, talk to me about your win. You have won with a hefty amount of time and you haven’t really had to push that hard to deliver the great times. You must be delighted
OS:
Of course I’ve been pushing, you always need to push when the competition is so high as it is, and there have been so many cars and so many drivers. All of them are crazy competition. So it has been super-fun. I think I have been racing every single driver during every single stage this weekend. Sami on some stages, then it’s Suninen and Lindholm. It’s a lot to hold on to. But it’s been a great weekend and really fun to manage to win again. It’s a fantastic feeling. Being first on the road, that was difficult on Friday. But after that it was a little bit easier to be first on the road.
Q:
You mentioned the other drivers. It just shows the class we have in WRC2 right now.
OS:
It’s incredible. It’s so fun because we have so much competition and so many different cars as well. That really brings the fun of driving and you really need to push yourself to be better, and also the car and the team as well. It’s been a great weekend.
Q:
Talk to me about the trickiest element. You’ve had quite a big lead for the majority of the rally, what did you find the toughest element out there this weekend?
OS:
To be honest, tyre management was probably the most difficult. They are so long stages and also so much gravel, second pass, which I’ve never seen before. So I was surprised how neat and clean you had to be for the tyres and I think that was the key this weekend to pull some gaps, especially second loop. And also today it was not so fun… OK, it’s fantastic to have a big lead, but it’s very difficult mentally because you want to still drive fast, but not too fast to not do a mistake and not too slow to lose too much time. It was more fun when I was fighting Sami because then you always had to drive quite fast to keep the gap.
Q:
And I can imagine you are hearing every possible sound in the car as well.
OS:
On the last stage I actually had a problem with the car, so I was very nervous because every time I used the handbrake I was locking all four wheels. Halfway through the stage I was a lttle bit nervous I couldn’t use the handbrake towards the end. So that was not so much fun.
Q:
Sami, third in WRC2 but winner of the Challenger aspect of the category. It’s been an incredible step up in WRC2. Did you expect to be as much on the pace as you have been?
SP:
Yeah, before the rally I was asked many times how I see that my race could be, but I was not maybe hoping for too much. But after the test I knew more or less where our pace was, let’s say compared to Oliver and the other Toksport drivers. So I was maybe hoping for some fastest times or something. But to reach P3 at the finish, that was maybe not the correct aim.
Q:
You got there though. What did you find the most difficult aspect out there this weekend?
SP:
Pretty much the same things Oliver just mentioned, about the tyres and managing not to run out of the tyres too fast. But for sure the competition is really tight now and for sure that is also making us drivers, let’s say faster. I see that as a good thing for me as I’m not so experienced yet, so I can really see where the correct pace is and what I should reach.
Q:
Where are we seeing you next?
SP:
Well we are not going to Mexico, but then I think when the championship is coming back to Europe I hope we are on the entry list.
Q:
Roope, winner in WRC3. We’ve seen a brilliant battle this weekend. You’ve been swapping around by tenths of seconds, until yesterday afternoon when things changed. How happy are you to win WRC3?
RK:
Thank you, I’m really happy. This was good rally for us. OK, one spin on Friday but otherwise good and good fight with Williams, but unfortunately he had some problems yesterday. But after that we tried to get clever.
Q:
After William had problems you had quite a big lead within WRC3. Was a bit similar as it was for Oliver, hearing sounds in the car and difficult to back off your pace because you’ve been on such a good pace during the weekend.
RK:
Yes, it’s not so easy but we managed.
Q:
What’s the plan for you this year?
RK:
Next WRC rally is Sardinia and then Portugal and Estonia and Finland.
Q:
That’s a programme of very fast rallies. What’s the target for you this year?
RK:
Get experience of these WRC events and of course win the championship.
Q:
Will, it wasn’t quite the win in WRC3 but it was the win in FIA Junior WRC3. A fantastic win as well because what a battle you have had with Laurent Pellier today. You’ve won by 0.6s, you must be delighted with that.
WC:
Yeah, it’s an amazing result, my first junior win. It was nice to be on the pace this weekend and set fastest stage times, even in the WRC3 class. I think it was quite close before we had some issues yesterday evening. But it’s amazing to start the championship with a win and obviously getting quite a few stage win points, so it’s a good start for the championship.
Q:
You were swapping times with Roope, but today your big target was to get back the lead in the junior category, that’s your focus this year. How much over your maximum were you today?
WC:
It was pretty hard to know what approach to take this morning. We went to bed last night and tried our best to think what was possible, but that was difficult. We started this morning and I suppose in one way it was easy because we could just go flat out. It was a tidy run, it wasn’t crazy but it was definitely fast. We probably took more time than I expected and that meant the race was on for the next stage because I knew coming into that stage that everybody would know it by now and it was quite a mess, so it would be hard to get a lot of time. It was probably a little closer than I would hope for, but we made it difficult for ourselves I think!
Q:
What did it feel like when you crossed the line and got the news that you had finally claimed that first junior victory?
WC:
It was a little confusing. Whenever we got to the stop line we weren’t sure who had got the win, and then when we got round to the holding area we saw that we had won. I think major relief because if we didn’t I would have been annoyed with myself on some of the things that went wrong throughout the rally. But for now we can forget about those and just enjoy the win.