Present:
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Motorsport
Dani Sordo, Hyundai Motorsport
Mads Østberg, M-Sport World Rally Team
Ott Tänak, DMACK World Rally Team
Marcos Ligato

Q:
Sébastien, you haven’t had the ultimate success here and you’ve said it really doesn’t bother you. I’m sure this trophy would be nice for your collection, though?
SO:
Yes, of course. If we are here it is with the aim to win, for sure. Some small things are missing but I don’t feel frustrated at all. And I think that’s the way I should think about it. Of course, I’ll give my best this weekend. I’ll try, but if it doesn’t happen, it won’t be the end of the world for me. The most important thing is to have a nice weekend, score some points, and keep going in a good way for the Championship.

Q:
Quite some changes and new stages this time around Argentina. What do you think about the new stages?
SO:
Looking nice, the new sections are pretty fast. This rally is a mix between very fast sections, flowing and nice to drive, and rough and technical sections like on Sunday. So you have to have two different approaches, one where you can push and enjoy a lot - these fast stages - and in the rough sections you have to survive and stay away from trouble. The second loop on the shakedown looked pretty rough, and for the rally, it’s going to be the same story. You have to drive with your head, not only with your right foot.

Q:
It’s been quite a long break since Mexico for everyone. Are you still fully motivated and ready to get back into action?
SO:
More than ever (laughs), not more than ever, but after such a long break… I enjoyed it and I took the time to do things different than rally, but at the end I started missing it quite a bit and I’m happy to be back in business, back in my Polo. It’s good that we had the shakedown to get back the feeling because I haven’t driven since Mexico so it’s been a long time, but it’s usually not a problem for me. I’m looking forward to starting the race.

Q:
Dani, this is going to be your 10th rally in Argentina and you’re probably one of the drivers with the most experience at this event. Do you think that gives you an advantage?
DS:
I think you’re the 10th person to ask me that! To be honest I don’t know if it will help me. Maybe I know some of the stages, I remember a little bit, but they have certainly changed. In general I think this year’s rally will be very nice, many different types of stages. I think it will be very interesting.

Q:
How do you feel your performance has been so far this year? And what do you think you can improve?
DS:
The car improved a lot. It’s getting better and better. This is the first rally in gravel where we can feel the improvement because Mexico was a little bit special. The car is already closer to the others.

Q:
You’ve been on the podium here twice before. Is it your aim this time around?
DS:
Yes, of course. I want to fight for victory.

Q:
Mads, how do you find Rally Argentina. Is it one of your favourites? This is an iconic event in the calendar, but does it suit you?
MO:
Yeah, well, it’s probably not one of my favorites, but I enjoy coming here. I enjoy the stages. It’s one of those rallies where you’re fighting a lot from the start to the end. So many rough sections, but it’s an enjoyable event. I do prefer some others before this one though.

Q:
How do you feel going into it? You have a great position in the Championship standings right now; it’s been a good start. Does it give you confidence?
MO:
Yes, of course. We have some good points with us and I’m planning to take some more from here as well. It always helps and the start position is not so bad for this event. I think everything is positive at the moment. We have to continue in the same rhythm we’ve done so far. And especially in a rally like this, it can give you some really good points.

Q:
It’s changeable here due to the weather, which can throw everything into the mix. Is it therefore difficult to have a strategy?
MO:
It’s kind of. You never know what happens here in the stages in the mountains. Not only because of the rain, but also because of the fog. Obviously, you always accept a little bit of rain. You just never know when it will come and it’s a difficult situation when it does.

Q:
How was it this morning? Were you happy with the set-up at shakedown?
MO:
The shakedown was quite rough. There is not so much else to say. It was nice on the first pass and after that it was quite rough. We do expect some rough stages on the rally as well so it gives us some practice.

Q:
Ott, happy to be back here?
OT:
Of course I’m happy to be in the Championship. We’ve been testing a lot this year, now we have a new set of tyres coming up from Portugal, and I’m actually looking forward to this moment. This would be our last event with this spec of tyres. Luckily the roads will be soft and sandy. It will be ok for us.

Q:
How much testing have you done with the new tyre?
OT:
A few days, it feels good and if you push hard it would be okay.

Q:
What do you think can be achieved this weekend?
OT:
Like everyone told so far, the conditions are good in some places and tricky in others. You have to pick the right places to push hard and in other places you have to be quiet. I think it can be a good chance to have good results. For sure I’m going to be pushing hard tomorrow and we will see in which position we end up.

Q:
How tough are Mina Clavero and El Condor?
OT:
I think they have always been rough. It is definitely the highlight of the challenge in Argentina. If it is sunny, it is good, but if the weather is not good it can be tricky. I think that first we need to manage Friday and Saturday and then we will see.

Q:
We have seen you lots of times here in Argentina in the production championship, in the National Championship and now in a WRC car Marcos. How much are you looking forward to competing in the World Rally Car here in your home event?
ML:
For this moment, we start looking at the car the end of last year. The engineer is a friend, Oliver Marcelli. He helped us to make the contact with the team. We started talking with the team in January and we arrived to a deal in February. We are really happy; this is a good opportunity for us to have the same car that won the event last year. For me this is a good opportunity. We have the chance to be in a WRC car but it was always nice to drive all cars and I think this is going to be a good car, a good team. They helped us a lot to have a good test in France and also today in the shakedown. We must enjoy this chance.

Q:
Do you feel comfortable with the car?
ML:
Yes, like the guys said the shakedown was very rough and I didn’t want to make any mistakes. I don’t know where the limit of the car is in the rough sections so I was very careful. The rally is tomorrow, and tonight with the Super Special, but the long stages start tomorrow. We want to have the car in good condition for tomorrow.

Q:
You have incredible experience in this event, what do you hope you can achieve against these guys tomorrow?
ML:
It is very difficult. They are excellent drivers, they have good teams and also they have been driving the car all year and testing and they know the cars very well. Also this event, all the guys have been in Argentina more than one time and they know very well how the stages are. This year for me is good. The change of the stages is very good for us, it is faster than last year and also rough so I think for my first time in the car it will be easier. We have an objective to finish in the top five which is a high objective but we must dream.

Q:
Could this be the start of more WRC events for you or this is just one off?
ML:
I don’t think it is possible to continue. It was hard work to arrive to have all the budget for this event. My family and sponsors made a good job to arrive but I don’t think it is possible to continue.

FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, Culture & Sports Qatar Rally Team
Nicolas Fuchs

Q:
Last year it was a victory for you here in Argentina. How are you feeling about competing this year with Elfyn Evans and Nicolas in WRC 2?
AA:
Yes, we won last year and also in 2013. This year is different. In Argentina you need to have a good brain because it is very tough. I know it from Monday and also from shakedown. My rival is very strong and very fast. I think he is like a local, he knows the roads very well, and Elfyn Evans is also very fast. We have to be very clever, we cannot be in the same pace as they are, so I have to be very clever if I want to win in Argentina. It is not about speed at all.

Q:
Your former co-driver Killian Duffy is alongside you whilst Marshall Clark recovers from a back injury. How is that relationship in the car? Is it like he never left?
AA:
First of all, Marshall is getting much better now. He hurt his back in Qatar. It was a very big roll and he broke something in his back and he will be back with me in Portugal. Killian is back with me now, we did three years together before and we have a very good relationship. I am happy with both of them, both of them are top co-drivers. They are the same, I don’t feel a difference.

Q:
We also saw you at the last event in Mexico, but it was a pretty dramatic round for you. What went wrong in Mexico? Can you change that around here?
AA:
We were really unlucky in Mexico. First, we stopped to change a tyre, and then we stopped again, and when you stop you lose time, two or three minutes and that is a lot. We came back on Sunday and we stopped in the last stage on the rally and that was a very bad start for the season. WRC 2 is very difficult if you lose one or two rounds, your chances in the Championship are gone because Elfyn has already 50 points in the Championship. He looks like he is going to be the winner, it will be very difficult to beat him, he has the speed, a very good car and we’ll see. It is about which car will be better and which car can last in the Championship between Skoda and the Fiesta. I think that Elfyn has more chances than any other driver so far.

Q:
You are competing in a Skoda R5 this season, what are the strengths of the car?
AA:
They are both good cars and they are faster than RRC which I was driving last year. But they are not as strong. The RRC was like a WRC car. These cars are cheaper and for the prices of the cars I think they have a good performance both, Skoda and Fiesta. I think all of the cars are good. But it depends on who is the driver and it depends on the plan. We have to think that we are driving an R5. You have to be very clever, especially in the long and tough stages. You have to think that on Sunday you have Mina Clavero and El Cóndor. I think that they are the roughest that I have seen in my life, in my career. Even if you are winning you have to consider Sunday. I think you have to slow down.

Q:
Nicolas, how are you feeling about Rally Argentina because you have done it so many times. Do you feel confident?
NF:
It is a very nice rally for me. I have been here with Group N since 2009. It is a very difficult rally, it is too rough for the car. It is very difficult to know where you have to push and where to save the car and this year I think it is even rougher. It rained a lot last week, there are lots of stones on the roads. For me the car is nice, it is very strong. I will have to push but not a lot. I want to have a safe rally to take points for the Championship.

Q:
Tell me about your test. What happened?
NF:
When I made the pace notes on Monday it was too rough and I thought “Oh, it is not nice to test the car here”, but I made the first lap with the Skoda and it was very nice the feeling on the car. I didn’t feel anything, it was like a tarmac stage. Only that the water splashes were very big and I broke all the nose of the car in a water splash.

Q:
What do you want to achieve this weekend? Do you think you can go and beat Elfyn Evans?
NF:
He has won two rallies already and he has a lot of points in the Championship. He has a lot of training in WRC cars and WRC 2. It is very difficult to fight with him and he has a lot of experience here, too. It is a long rally, it is too rough and you have to be safe and maybe you win the rally. It is very difficult to know where you can push him or other drivers.

Q:
How rough is Rally Argentina? Is it rougher than any other year?
NF:
The Giulio Césare is amazing but it is too rough for everybody and El Cóndor is good now but maybe after four or five cars it is all destroyed.

Q:
What do you think of the Skoda so far?
NF:
All the cars are nice but maybe just different driving. I think the Skoda may be stronger for these types of roads. The Fiesta is very good, with very good suspension and the Skoda is more difficult to drive than the Fiesta for me.