Present:
Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Motorsport II
Mads Østberg, M-Sport World Rally Team
Hayden Paddon, Hyundai Motorsport
Yazeed Al Rajhi, Yazeed Racing

Q:
Andreas, challenging conditions as we can all see, but the Rally Sweden organiser along with all the teams, FIA and other parties involved in the event are pulling together to make as much happen as possible. What are your thoughts?

AM:
I have seen better, there is not so much snow, which I am sorry to see, even though the Norwegian stages are in good shape. Many of the Swedish ones don’t have that much snow. It’s not really the conditions we want to see, but I just want to give the organisation credit for their work. We are out there preparing like there will be a rally, we are preparing as normal. We hope for a little bit of luck with the weather but it is nothing we can control. They could have thrown in the towel really early, but we are still in the game. We are still fighting to get the rally going. We have to give everything before it is too late.

Q:
You were so close to winning this event last year and have stated how much it would mean to you to win here. Do you think that’s still possible?

AM:
We started the year really well with second place in Monte, which is definitely not my favourite rally. Coming into this weekend, which is the rally I like the most, I have high expectations. We have been close to winning two years in a row, last year we were really close. I believe we have the chance to win and I will do everything in my power to make it happen.

Q:
You were on the podium in Monte-Carlo with a new co-driver. It obviously went really well between the two of you and although you’ve worked together before, did the result even exceed your expectations?

AM:
Both yes and no, as we have done testing together and he has done an amazing job. Of course a rally is different to testing. The pressure is on with 200 people working for you; you have to deliver. I was a bit nervous for him because surely if something happened it would be put on his shoulders. He delivered 100%. He is ready to fight this weekend and so am I.

Q:
Mads, you had a great warm-up to this event and won Rally Finnskog last weekend. It must be good to get back in winning mode and take your first victory in the Fiesta?

MO:
Of course, every rally counts. And this rally is in the region where we do the Norwegian stages. It was a good test.

Q:
And how is the relationship with co-driver Ola [Floene] developing?

MO:
Monte is a difficult event to start with and it was a big step to go back to Norwegian pace notes again. I could not believe that, because I am Norwegian. But it was a big step and we worked a lot during Monte to make it good and I think we really succeeded. We had an extra test last week in Finnskoga Rally and it was just perfect. Everything is ready now. It always takes some time to get used to each other, but I am really confident.

Q:
What’s a realistic result here?

MO:
It is difficult to say at the moment. Friday looks really good. We are going out to enjoy the stages. I just want to enjoy and push to the limit. Of course I want to fight for at least the podium and if we have a good rhythm I think we can fight for a win. We will give it everything.

Q:
Hayden, this is your first outing in the new generation i20 WRC. What’s your impression and how does it compare to the older car you ran on Rallye Monte-Carlo?

HP:
It is certainly amazing and a big step forward. It is nice to have the extra power and the nicer chassis. At the same time we have to start from scratch now with developing setups and adjusting the driving style a little bit. This will take a little bit of time but for sure it will be an improvement.

Q:
Due to the fact conditions are different to previous years, how many changes have you had to make to your pace notes?

HP:
I think everything this week is a bit of a lottery in terms of set up, the notes and the confidence we will have entering the stages; it is such unexpected territory we are going into. Personally, I look forward to these conditions even though they will be challenging. It might not suit the specialist snow drivers as much as in the past, but for someone like myself who hasn’t recently driven on snow it might help bring us up a little bit.

Q:
Will it be an advantage?

HP:
Maybe not an advantage, but it will help us a little bit.

Q:
Can you feel confident going into the event?

HP:
I will tell you after the first stage tomorrow. The stages tomorrow are very nice; fast flowing roads, which I love. We will push tomorrow morning and see where we end up.

Q:
Yazeed, this is your first WRC event in a world rally car. What made you step up from the WRC 2 Championship?

YAR:
Firstly to take a new experience, I want to improve my level for the seven events I do this year in that car. Going back to WRC 2 for some events too, that is my plan.

Q:
What was it like getting into a WRC car for the first time?

YAR:
It is a different feeling. After third gear when you push the throttle the car goes until you are scared!

Q:
You went to the Arctic Rally as preparation for this event and it didn’t quite go to plan with a mechanic failure on the first stage. This hasn’t given you the seat time you wanted so how confident can you feel in the world rally car?

YAR:
After 7 kilometres the gearbox got stuck between fourth and fifth. Unmoral and unlucky but we tested before the Arctic Rally for two days. It is no different from this race, like GB.

Q
How is your confidence level?

YAR
With the change of weather it is not easy for me; the first experience with the car, tyres and gravel. It is difficult for me but I will try and learn and get some experience from this race.

FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
Pontus Tidemand,
Eyvind Brynildsen
Marius Aasen

Q:
Pontus, first rally of the season for you and a home event. Your thoughts?

PT:
I am really looking forward and am really excited to start the season now. There is good competition in our class so I’m really excited and waiting for tomorrow. It is quite important to take points from each rally, there are many challengers in the WRC 2 and we are also a challenger. We really want to look at this title for this year so we will do everything we can every day.

Q:
You were so close to winning the FIA WRC 2 Championship title last year, is that the focus this season?

PT:
This is the question. For sure there are many drivers here and they might not do all the championship; they will go flat out from the beginning. If we have a good day and everything is working really well and we have a good feeling we will push on and try to get a gap. If we need to take risks to get to the top then we need to decide if we will drive on our level and for our safe speed. We will see.

Q:
The event looks very different to what we expected, what is your strategy and are you aiming for victory?

PT:
I want to give a big credit to the organiser who gets this rally together. Today the road has been looking quite good. It will be quick. The road is quite straight and there are lots of cuts. In WRC we may see lots of new stage records. It will fit us quite well though. The car is quite good, and the tyres, and I also like the roads like this. I am looking forward to it.

Q:
Eyvind, this is a huge opportunity for you this weekend with the M-Sport World Rally Team, alongside Elfyn Evans. Do you have big hopes for the weekend?

EB:
Yes, it’s good to be here. First of all my thanks to M-Sport and Malcolm [Wilson] who believes in me. Finally we are in Sweden, our home event, with a really proper car. It is going to be great.

Q:
Will we see you on more events in the car?

EB:
I hope we will see more. It depends a bit on my driving. It looks good.

Q:
We all know you start every rally targeting the win, but with such strong rivals here how difficult is that going to be?

EB:
It is going to be really difficult for sure. It will be full throttle from start. There is so much gravel, so it will be difficult of course. I do not start Rally Sweden to be second. I was disappointed last year to be second. I came here to win and it was a good fight with Jari. I do believe I am getting a bit older, I did my first rally in 2006. But still it will be good.

Q:
Do you feel more pressure to perform?

EB:
There is always pressure. You always come with a chance to win. I go home, I work to get some money, I find some sponsors, I go back again. I never give up. I believe I should be here and hope to see you later this year in many rallies.

Q:
Marius, this event marks the start of your Drive DMACK Trophy prize, which sees you compete in WRC 2 this season. Are you looking forward to it?

MA:
I have been looking forward to starting this rally for a while and after the big prize DMACK gave me this year I really look forward to it. We were testing Monday and I am starting to feel quite comfortable in the car. Things are looking good so I am looking forward to it.

Q:
What are the positives of the car, what are its strengths?

MA:
Everything. Many switches are new because I am used to driving a front wheel drive car. I have to get used to the power and everything; the suspension, the brakes. Everything is working much better than a two-wheel drive car. Everything is good with this car I think.

Q
You had such a successful season last year as part of the DMACK Trophy. What are your hopes and expectations for this year?

MA:
My plan is to finish every rally I start and try to get as much experience as possible. For me it does not matter, of course I will try to win but that is not what I need to think about because everything is new to me. I need to concentrate on myself, my driving and try to get as much experience as possible. As I said to Pontus; it is such a strong field in WRC 2, you have some great drivers around you.

Q:
Who are you going to compare yourself to?

MA:
I am not trying to put as much pressure on myself. Especially in this rally there are lots of good drivers. Many drivers might do only this rally and will do full throttle from the start, I will try to get a good feeling with everything. We’ll see how it goes.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Reiner Kuhn
Motorsport Aktuell, Switzerland

Q:
When you tested Monday, was it the same conditions as we have now or was it more winter conditions?

EB:
Me and Marius were testing at the same place all the time. We had ice with some kind of slush. It was raining and snowing at the same time. I did a rally Saturday and that was more like we can see now. I think Pontus was testing on another place.

PT:
It was more similar to the stages we have in Norway.