Present:
Thierry Neuville, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
Esapekka Lappi, Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT
Craig Breen, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
Teemu Suninen, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
 
Q:
Thierry, you lead the championship by 27 points as we head into Rally Finland. It has been a long break since the success of Sardinia, how are you feeling? Refreshed? what have you been doing to prepare for the crucial second half of the season?
TN:
Definitely, the break was quite long but even so we had a lot to do, I was doing some events in Belgium as well. I tried to enjoy some free time, obviously it could have been a little bit longer. When you are leading the championship it’s always a good feeling. It was the first time for us during the break so I really enjoyed that time.
 
Q:
You have all spent a lot of time testing ahead of this event. It’s not a secret that Hyundai has not historically done exceptionally well here and we haven’t seen you on the podium yet. Last year you were struggling for grip. Is it going to be a different story this year?
TN:
Slightly yes, I hope so. We have worked a lot, it’s true, even if for me it was only two days with the car, one in Estonia, one here. But Andreas had a couple of days more testing as well as Hayden who did the rally in Estonia, so they were able to take some good information. I was happy with my test on Sunday here in Finland but we know as well that we are at the home of Toyota this weekend so we expect that they are going to be really fast again.

Q:
How did the Shakedown go this morning?
TN:
Good. It was slippery and it was a little bit loose. Tomorrow is going to be the same story. We know we are going to suffer a little bit but, at the same time, we all know where are my focuses. It’s going to be to fight for the championship. I need to take some important points this weekend, try to be ahead of Ogier if possible and manage the gap.

Q:
You say the car feels better. What elements have changed in comparison to last year?
TN:
At the end of last year we introduced the new aerodynamics which are definitely one of the most important factors here in Finland at high speed stages. We had suspension problems. Rather little changes which have improved the car.

Q:
Esapekka last year you realised the dream that almost every WRC driver has; to win in Finland. All eyes will be on you this weekend to see if you can do the double. Do you believe you can?
EL:
I will try for sure since I’m not suffering as much as Thierry of the road position to be fourth on the road, but still it’s not the best position - the roads will get better and better eventually. It will be tough and very difficult to repeat the win this year - a big challenge for sure.
 
Q:
There are big changes for the roads this year: smaller roads, more technical. What do you think of the changes and do you like them?
EL:
It’s definitely going down to more narrow roads but all of them are not so slow, surely a few technical sections as well and the loose gravel is making them slower and the grip is not so high. I think there might be some surprises with the hidden rocks coming to the ground especially during the second pass. So that might be sort of a game changer as well. It’s still Finland but a bit bit different from before.

Q:
What have you learned this year? When you seem to make mistakes, you adapt very quickly.
EL:
On this level, you have to be on the limit most of the time. I have a little less experience than Thierry, for example. With these guys, I have to be on the limit. Mistakes happen, but when you’re driving on the limit, you learn the most. I try to learn where the limit is and try to be just a little bit under it.

Q:
Craig we’ve seen you compete in Rally Estonia to get yourself ready for the high speed test of Finland. With that and the one day test, do you feel ready to tackle the event?
CB:
Estonia is not exactly representative but, to get used to these speeds, I don’t think you’ll pick a faster place than Estonia. On that side I was really happy to be given the opportunity to do the rally there. The profile is not exactly the same and the biggest thing is the surface. In Estonia the roads are really soft and it’s a bit harder here. That was the first thing which took me a little more time in the test to get familiar with it again. I was really, really happy that I could do the rally there and it’s definitely given me a lot of confidence going into this one.
 
Q:
2016 saw you achieve a podium, however last year was a tough trial. Do you feel the car has improved significantly since then?
CB:
I have good memories from 2016, I’ll never forget that for the rest of my life. Last year was difficult. I think last year in total was difficult anyway and Finland was one of the better ones through the year if you compare it to everything else. So I think this year we’re in a completely different way. The car has improved so much since even the start of this year. We have a new front geometry to use here as well, that really complements the changes we made earlier in the year before Argentina. I feel quietly confident. I try not to look too much at shakedown, in Argentina myself and Kris [Meeke] did exactly the same thing, we were one and two with this new geometry, we thought the whole world’s problems were solved and then in the rally it wasn’t like that. So we need to keep two feet on the ground and take every stage as we can. 

Q:
What do you think of the changes that we see to the stages this year?
CB:
It’s different. I won’t say slow, because at the end of the day we’re in Finland and even the narrow roads are very fast. The biggest thing is that it’s been a good summer so far, the scenery is very lush. There is a lot of grass. It’s difficult to see the cuts, difficult to know what’s behind the grass. That’s going to be interesting to see. I’m sure at some point, someone - touch wood it’s not me - will find something hidden in one of those ditches. Naturally as rally drivers are, we tend to nibble a little bit more and more from the side of the road. At some point there will be something in one of those ditches and it’s a key point not to get caught out and catch something.

Q:
Teemu, last year Rally Finland marked the first time you competed at home in a WRC car. You impressed with your pace but lost out on a podium position on the final day. You have had much more experience this year in a World Rally Car; given that you have more experience under your belt do you feel you can show us more this time?
TS:
Of course I hope so. Last year we had only two rallies in a WRC car so I needed to drive on the limits to show my skills and this year I hope I can do the same but I also need to finish the rally and make sure I can get the roads for the next year.

Q:
It’s a fine balance, you will want to push and get a great result but you also want to finish. It’s a difficult balance to manage?
TS:
For sure, especially here in Finland because all the drivers are driving on the limits and here we just need to go flat out everywhere to go fast, otherwise we are going to lose a lot of time.

Q:
Your thoughts on the changes we are seeing to the stages this year, in terms of them using smaller roads, different roads. Do you think it’s a good thing?
TS:
I would say it’s a good thing. It’s more challenging for the drivers. The roads are more narrow. There is not much space to make a mistake. If I’m going to do a mistake, we are out of the rally. From that side it’s more challenging.

Q:
Since you have been competing on more WRC events, we’ve seen you becoming more popular. Certainly last night you were inundated with journalists questioning you. Do you feel more pressure on you this year?
TS:
Not really. Last year I had two rallies and needed to show everything that I could. This season I have a bit more time, it’s not all about one rally. But I need to get the good results from here.

FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP
 
Present:
Kalle Rovanperä
Gus Greensmith
 
Q:
Kalle, this is your first attempt at your home event. No longer standing as a spectator, this year you get to compete. How special does that feel for you?
KR:
It’s a really exciting moment for me. At the start in Harju a lot of people are watching for me and I think it’s going to be a really special moment.
 
Q:
Even though it is your first attempt, many eyes will be watching to see how you perform at home. Do you have the confidence to challenge for the category win?
KR:
I think we have been in the winning points in every race before this so it should be possible here, but of course we have to now finish and get good points as we have retired a few times now and it is a bit of a different approach now.
 
Q:
We saw your pace in Argentina, but we also saw a mistake on the final day. What did you learn from that incident?
KR:
We have learned a lot and we are learning all the time so I think this race is also a learning race for us. It’s the second time from me in a Finnish gravel rally so I don’t have so much experience from here. We have learned many things and now I hope we have everything alright now in the pace notes and everything so we can finish the rally.

Q:
I can imagine the pressure is quite huge, are there any nerves, are you feeling the pressure or not?
KR:
I think there is pressure more than normal and I think it is the biggest thing, there is more motivation also. All my friends and family are watching always in all the countries and they are listening to rally radio so you really have to be good.

Q:
Gus, you are currently fourth in the drivers’ standings of WRC 2, having finished second in both Mexico and Argentina. You led in Portugal but the first win has eluded you so far. Could it be here?
GG:
That would be the plan. The test felt really good. The car, no problems. Probably the best car I’ve driven in a long time and then we tried it to make sure everything was working this morning and the car felt strange. We know what it is now so we should be fine for the rally. I can’t say what but the car should be fine now and we know what it is and the pace should be back because it was very strange trying to work out what it was, then after a couple of runs we worked out what it was. We know how good the car was on the test and as soon as we made the changes it should be back to normal I hope.

Q:
It’s been quite a big break since competition, especially for you as you didn’t compete in Sardinia, the last WRC event we saw. You come here on the high-speed roads of Finland. What have you been doing to get yourself in the mindset of this event?
GG:
I’ve been out of a car for almost nine weeks, so it’s been a really long time and I’ve not really had the preparation that a lot of the other drivers have had, doing small rallies and a lot of testing. So it will be tricky to be right on the pace straight away but I had two days and WRC drivers only need two days to get ready for an event so I don’t really see why it should be different for me. I’m feeling good now and the confidence is high so yes, let’s go and do the job.

Q:
From the recce what have you thought of the stages as we have seen changes to the route, quite considerable changes. Smaller roads have been used, it’s a little bit more technical than we’ve seen in the past.
GG:
I like the fast, flowing roads of Finland but the slower more technical roads definitely suit the Fiesta. I was quite happy to see the changes. I was quite happy to see the roads but there is a lot of loose on the top of the surface so even as the second WRC 2 car on the road, it’s still going to be clearing all the way behind. I think you can expect to see some fast times behind, so yes we’re going to have to go flat out straight away in the morning and we can’t really lift.
 

FIA JUNIOR / WRC 3 CHAMPIONSHIP
 
Present:
Henri Hokkala
Emil Bergkvist
 
Q:
Henri, you’ve recently been named the ‘AKK Future Rally Star of Finland’ and follow in the footsteps of Teemu Suninen, Jari Huttunen and Juuso Nordgren. We’ll see you compete in the Junior WRC in a Fiesta R2. Firstly, how does it feel to compete at your home event?
HH:
I’m feeling nice. It’s a nice feeling and this is my home rally and this is possible.
 
Q:
How much testing have you been able to do with the car? What are your thoughts on it? What will be your strategy this weekend?
HH:
We drive 100 kilometres in Poland. It’s OK.

Q:
We have some really strong drivers in the Junior WRC Championship. Do you feel that you will be able to get a podium result here this weekend? What are you hoping for?
HH:
It’s a long rally but I want to be on the podium.

Q:
Emil, the 2018 season in the Junior WRC Championship has been fiercely competitive. You’re currently second with a consistent performance. With just two rounds remaining are we going to see a big push from you to achieve a win?
EB:
I will really try. The season so far has seen some ups and downs with mechanical problems. We have this in the championship where you can get one point if you win a stage, so in Portugal that was my lifeline to still be second in the championship. I will really try to make a good result here but there is good competition and it will not be easy.
 
Q:
You’ve competed in Finland one time before, so do you feel you have the knowledge, the confidence to go out and push hard this weekend?
EB:
I believe so but I know that all the other guys also have it so we really have to be on it from the first metre. Shakedown in the morning was a good test to get speed into the car and yes, I will try to be in the fight.

Q:
Just two rounds remaining in the Junior WRC Championship, this and Rally Turkey which is for double points. So even if you were massively successful, winning every stage and the rally, you still don’t know until after Turkey who will be able to win the championship.
EB:
It’s very unpredictable to see the winner at the moment. If you lead the championship now and you retire in Turkey, you are going to lose a lot of points but still you have to finish in a good way here and just drive to the finish in Turkey.