Present:

- Sebastien Ogier, M-Sport World Rally Team

- Julian Ingrassia, M-Sport World Rally Team

- Thierry Neuville, Hyundai Motorsport

- Nicolas Gilsoul, Hyundai Motorsport

- Dani Sordo, Hyundai Motorsport

- Marc Marti, Hyundai Motorsport

- Malcolm Wilson, Team Principal, M-Sport World Rally team

Q: Sebastien, congratulations on the win. It is win number 40 for you and as we have heard, you equal Marku Alen’s record of five wins. You have won it on the 50th anniversary of the rally and he won his fifth on the 20th anniversary. How are you feeling?

SO: Like you say, it is a great symbol today and I am delighted with this. It has been a hard fight to the end and I think you enjoy even more to win this way. To be honest, when I arrived there during the recce, I didn’t think I would have a real chance to fight for victory, so I think I can be even more happy and proud with this one. There was something hard to overcome. But we had a strong start in the rally and got a good start position or Saturday and Sunday. Then we had a tense fight, first with our team-mate Ott, who had very impressive speed over the weekend. Still he managed to score good points for the team, which is good.

Q: It was difficult for you sweeping the road clear on Friday but the lead changed around so much, everything was so close and you did such a good job of not losing too much time.

SO: For sure, I am glad the rules have changed - with two days of opening the roads, I would have been far away on Saturday night. On Friday, we knew it is always like this – you have to start the rally flat out immediately as you know the first day has a huge importance for the rest of the weekend. It happened a lot on the last three stages of the day. Like last year, Ponte de Lima is the turning point on this rally, as it is very rough and we ended up on the podium on Friday night and from this moment on, I enjoyed the rally much more. The pace was back in the position I like to be – in the top three and on Saturday, we were always first or second. It’s good and it's a good sign for the rest of the season.

Q: I know you always love to win and the team always loves to win. Your No.1 technician is Portuguese so a win for him must be really special?

SO: Yes, I used to have a lot of Portuguese mechanics and engineers and this weekend, my No.1 and the engineer – and more in the team. It feels good, as I am sure they are really proud to have this one. I remember in the past I had a similar story – I think the Portuguese people are sometimes emotional so it is hard to find words. Everything is perfect so thank you to the whole team. I think everyone is putting their maximum effort to give me everything they have and I am happy we could give back with a strong performance this weekend.

Q: Julian, a challenging Rally Portugal. It has been a great event and you take away maximum points for the win. How are you feeling after it all?

JI: I really want to point out that the team has worked really hard for months now and this win is really welcome, as we knew we were going in the right direction after the last test we did in Portugal. So a big thanks for the team who didn't have many rest days over the last few weeks. One of the engineers told me they didn't expect to see me and Seb happy like babies, like the first win. We have a lot of work in front of us but this is a big accomplishment already.

Q: Was it a challenging weekend for you in the co-driver’s seat? How tough is this rally for you guys?

JI: I think my colleagues would agree that until the last Fafe jump, it's a hard job. It shakes a lot. There are a lot of corners in the stages. It was quite demanding and I am happy we had a good test and a good recce and could avoid any mistakes on tyres or set-up. I am really happy tonight.

Q: Thierry, you take away second position here and move into second in the championship as well. Are you happy with the result?

TN: Considering our start position and for me, the first time I had these conditions, with cleaning the road, that’s why maybe I lost some time in the first stage. After that, I tried to change my driving style and get into a good rhythm. At the end, I think the improvements were straight away and from there on, we managed quite well. So I must be pleased with the result.

Q: What did you think this morning with the gap you had at the end of yesterday? Did you think there was a chance you could catch him [Ogier] or was it too much?

TN: To be honest, no, I didn't think I could get him. I knew this weekend, it would be impossible to catch a lot of time. We tried several times in several stages to get some time back and we didn't really succeed, except maybe on the stages yesterday, where I made a better tyre choice for the stage. I was able to catch more than six seconds but that was the only time there was a bigger gap than two or three seconds. It was a good move but not enough and I knew today that with Fafe already – everyone knows it very well – you can't make a big difference.

Q: You made changes mid-way yesterday. Surely you aren't putting the change in pace just down to tyre choice?

TN: We made a couple of changes and improved a bit but not as much as I would have liked. All three Hyundais were struggling a bit with the traction generally and I think that was where the Fords were stronger. But at the end, it was really close. If you see the times, it was amazing this weekend. And really challenging for us, as you have to give everything all the time. But I enjoyed it and finally, we have two cars on the podium, which is a really good result for the team. I get the 18 points plus the 4 Power Stage points so it is a really good result and well done to the guys who won because I remember talking to Seb in Argentina and we said maybe Portugal will be difficult but he said even in Argentina he could not have won, being first car on the road.

Q: Nicolas, it's great points for the championship. It must give you good confidence moving forward to the next event?

NG: Yes, of course. I am happy because it is the first time I have been in the press conference for this rally. I think we are in a good mood. We are missing a little bit of traction but I am sure we will improve very soon and we will be ready to fight in front on the next event in Sardinia.

Q: Dani, third and good points for your championship as well. How would you assess your weekend’s performance?

DS: The first day was very nice – a good battle with everyone. OK, Saturday, Sebastien and Thierry were very fast in the morning and they made a bigger gap to me. In the afternoon, they pushed hard still and the gaps were close but at the end, we had a problem with the rear of the car. We lost a bit of time but we were already a bit far. I was trying hard but the rear of the car was moving a bit too much. I maybe lost some time in the exit of the corners but anyway, I was trying and today I pushed to keep Tanak behind. I really want to try to fight for the lead but third is not bad.

Q: You struggled a bit with the car this weekend. What can be done ahead of the next event?

DS: I don’t know. I think we need to work a bit more on the rear. Saturday was very slippery and we should improve the rear traction. For everyone it was slippery but for my driving style, it is a little more difficult. But it was a nice weekend and nice battles.

Q: Marc, congratulations on third place. We have seen a few changes to Rally Portugal – some new stages and some in reverse. What have you thought of the rally this year?

MM: The rally was very demanding for everyone. We had lots of new distance – new stages and reversed. At the end it was I think 75% of the rally was new. It means that it is easier to make a mistake. You must make good pace notes. At the end, you can see everyone is working very well. When you see the first service after the first loop, it was 7 cars in 10 seconds – now the performance is equal between the different cars. We need to keep this because it is really fantastic where everyone is fighting for the victory.

Q: It’s exciting to watch and it must be exciting for you guys to be part of it?

MM: Of course. It creates emotion. You would like to be in front with 30 or 40 seconds. OK, this is a dream we might get one day but it is nice to be in this fight with these guys.

Q: Malcolm, two wins for M-Sport this year and a good lead in the Manufacturer’s Championship as well. It's been a great event for the team?

MW: Yes, it has been fantastic. After the disappointment of Argentina, it is great to have Seb happy with the work we did on the test. We made some big steps to make the car suit him. He did an incredible job on Friday. OK, he wasn’t leading but the time loss was fantastic. You can imagine the disappointment for the team in Argentina and then to come here, there has been a lot of emotion in the service park, as it has been great with such a competitive season. After the first, it was so close and I hope it can stay that way for the rest of the season. I don't know if my nerves can take it but it is fantastic for the sport and the fans. In my time in the sport, there has never been anything like this

Q: After Argentina, I’m sure it was full heads-down back at Dovenby Hall [M-Sport HQ]. A huge amount of work gone in by everyone?

MW: Yes, I think our car is a different driving style to what Seb is used to and it is a case that we worked in one direction and now, we are working in a slightly different direction. I have a fantastic team of people and with them and their commitment, we won't stop there. If these guys are going to improve, then we will continue to improve as well.

Q: Seb and Julian have been part of the team for six events now. What has it been like working with them?

MW: It’s fantastic. I have mentioned it before. There is one guy they can relate to and he’s on this event – Carlos [Sainz]. It is not just Seb, it’s Julian as well as they are so professional in their approach – every little detail has to be covered but I think what has come to the team is this incredible feeling of the commitment that everyone in the company is giving because they know we can achieve success. We just want more of it and everyone back at Dovenby wants more of it as well.

FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:

Jonas Andersson, Skoda Motorsport

Q: Pontus, there was some final stage drama this afternoon with Mikkelsen. He had a big lead all weekend and then a mistake on the final stage promotes you to a win, and another 25 points. Has it been a great weekend for you?

PT: Yes, it’s been great, but I feel very sorry for Andreas. He was doing very well this weekend. But okay, we have won 25 points this weekend. That’s very good. It’s been a good rally for us. We had a good fight with Teemu Suninen. Friday we were struggling a bit with the speed on some stages. It’s quite a bit different from the previous rally we’ve been driving, so it’s not so easy to just change your mind and go a new speed. On Saturday I think we found it better, but we ended up with the puncture in the evening. But it was the same for Teemu. I think we did the tyre change a bit faster. Today it was an interesting day. To be honest we were a bit nervous, but we managed to finish as the winner. But again, I feel sorry for Andreas, but we need to be happy.

Q: It was strange to see you and Suninen stopped out on the stage on Saturday. There’s no communication out there, so you wouldn’t have known that he had a problem as well. Were you thinking, at that point, that it was all over for your second position?

PT: Yeah, for sure. But we did a good change of the tyre. Then we had to do our best, so that’s what we did. So yeah, the fight was on today. We really enjoyed this rally. It’s a good atmosphere, a lot of spectators. It’s well organised, it’s one of the highlights of the year.

Q: You seem to be a dominant force in WRC2 now, with all the wins you have. The points that you have must be giving you good confidence for that title.

PT: Yes, it’s the perfect storm for us and also the team. But it’s still a long way to go. But we can’t say anything other than it looks very good. We just need to enjoy it for the moment.

Q: Jonas, let’s turn to you now. Tell us about the event. You took the win, you were battling for second with Suninen this weekend. This result is better than expected.

JA: Yes, this was very unexpected. But like Pontus said, I think we had a good rally. We had some really good times on Friday, but we didn’t match them. We had a good fight with Suninen. At the end it maybe came down to this tyre change that we were quicker with. That gave us the advantage this morning, so we could be a bit relaxed today. It’s fantastic to have 100 points after four events. It’s a great, great start, so we’re really looking forward to the next one now.

Q: It’s been such a successful weekend. It must be good to be fighting at the top?

JA: It’s been a great weekend and a great battle with Suninen. And like the team said yesterday it was crazy because we more or less stopped at the same time to do the tyre change. It’s always good fun when it’s a good battle. And to come out on top of that is even better. I really like this rally. Nice stages, loads of support. It’s just fantastic.

FIA WRC 3 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:

Francisco Name

Q: Francisco, what a weekend it’s been for you. How are you feeling?

FN: It’s amazing. For me it was my first time driving a front-wheel-drive car, so we knew it was going to be a learning rally, for the rest of the season. But we kept pushing, we kept the pace. I’m really glad. The Rally Portugal was a good experience for us. We didn’t make any mistakes and we got the result.

Q: How did you find the Citroen this weekend?

FN: It’s amazing. It’s the first time that I’ve raced in the WRC outside of Mexico. The support of the fans is amazing. I like the organisation. I really liked the stages, we had to get used to them and they’re so much different from Mexico. It’s very nice. I worked so hard for many years to be here and the result is first place in my first WRC3 event, so it’s good.

Q: What about today? Nils Solans wasn’t that far behind this morning. What did you think when you started this morning? Were you nervous at all?

FN: Yes of course. They are really fast drivers. When you’re learning how to use the car and go back to a front-wheel-drive car it was difficult. I also suffered a little bit with the tyres. On the longer stages I lost grip at the end. I thought if he catches me it’s okay. For me it was important to be on the podium and get the points and keep pushing like that. I hope for Poland and Italy to be on the times. We need to make tests on the car. I think the result will come.

Q: Were you happy with your pace this weekend?

FN: Yes. The result is good. I know I can push more. I need to get used to the car, that’s something important. The most important thing is that we were here, but we need more experience for sure.