Present:
Sébastien Ogier, M-Sport World Rally Team 
Kris Meeke, Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
Jari-Matti Latvala, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team
Thierry Neuville, Hyundai Motorsport 

Q:
Sébastien, new era, new team, new car, lots of changes for you! Have you adjusted to the Fiesta and what are your initial thoughts on the Fiesta WRC?
SO:
I can’t tell you too much, but at least my first impression is not too bad. If I try this challenge it’s because I see some potential. I am aware I have a big challenge and with short preparation it won’t be easy. I have nothing to lose; the motivation is to make something from this challenge. It’s strange to make a step back as more of an outsider for this season, but at least with Julien we have a lot of experience and we have some hope. We will do our best.

Q:
What do you mean outsider?
SO:
We start the season with very little time in the car and the team and it’s definitely difficult. And we know this is the only private team in the championship and it’s always hard to fight against the manufacturers. But at least this is an exceptional private team which has proved for many many years that they can do really, really well. Even if the last years were not so good, I trust them. I went into this challenge feeling something could come out, otherwise I would stay home with my little Tim.

Q:
Was it a difficult decision for you in December? What was the deciding factor for you to choose M-Sport? Was retirement even an option?
SO:
Seriously, I thought about it. It’s getting harder to leave home and leave my little one. Sometimes I was close to go in this direction, but I thought if I do it I will never come back – I didn’t want a sabbatical. Then I say OK, I still have lot of pleasure and I still want to try a little more. Obviously the timing of the Volkswagen decision put us in a very difficult situation with not so many options. I choose the one which gives me the best chance to continue to perform. We’ll see. It’s a new era and there is a question mark for everybody with the new cars. We need to be fast but also reliable and clever. In the past we have proved we can have some strong argument, let’s see what we can do – but it’s sure I would like more preparation.

Q:
Kris how much are you looking forward to your full-time return to the WRC?
KM:
I think we’re all excited about this, the media, the fans and it’s nice to be part of it. Last year I done seven rallies and then concentrated on testing. In hindsight, I was maybe a bit frustrated not to go to some more rallies, but this was the right approach. Let’s see, it’s a big step into the unknown. We have some new regulations and this is opening it up for everybody. Time will tell, but we’ll probably not tell a lot this week – but we’ll see in the coming rallies.

Q:
Plenty of testing and development and now it’s time to see the brand new Citroen C3 WRC in action. Is expectation weighing heavy right now or are you taking it all in your stride on this event?
KM:
I think it showed last year if I can enjoy it… I enjoyed the battle with Seb last year. OK, he had the upper hand for most of the time, but it was a while since I enjoyed the Monte. It takes a while to come here and enjoy the rally, we’ll see. I want to relax and enjoy it and see what happens.

Q:
Unpredictability is the norm in Monte Carlo. From conditions out there are tyre options going to be even harder than previous years?
KM:
One thing: the tyre choice is a little more simple because of the conditions. The weather is very stable and doesn’t look like it’ll change a lot. But this rally is always complicated and certainly Friday and Saturday are going to be in full winter conditions. It might be simple for the tyres, but it’s never simple from the driving side. It will be very tricky in places, even with the full studded tyre.

Q:
Jari-Matti, for you as well as Seb, a brand new team and car with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing. This will be the first year for the team after a year of development with the Yaris. How good is this car? Is it capable of winning from the outset?
J-ML:
I managed to do 10 or 12 days of testing, so it was quite a change. When Volkswagen stopped, for one month I didn’t know what to do. I was even thinking of doing the Finnish Championship to keep the rhythm! I was very happy to get the Toyota seat and the feeling has been getting better and better the more testing I’ve been doing. It was tricky in shakedown, but I feel more confident with the car now.

Q:
You described to me the period after the VW news broke of being the most stressful of your life so far. What is the feeling now that you are embarking on a new adventure?
J-ML:
I said maybe we had to try Finnish Championship… like Seb said if you are one year out it’s very difficult to come back. I didn't want to miss a year. It’s not easy to come back, so I really tried to push to be in the championship. There were chances to be a privateer, but when you are driving for a manufacturer, you always have the support to develop the car – especially when we have a president like Akio Toyoda. He has been supporting [the programme] for a long time.

Q:
When will the car win?
J-ML:
The car has been running less than one year. The first test was March or April and that’s a very short period. When Volkswagen came the test period was a lot longer. This year for me is more to work on the car and make it faster and faster – at the end of the year, we could fight for the podiums or victories. But the first six months is to work with the car. The target is more 2018, now we work to get it on the level with the other cars.

Q:
Thierry, what’s it like to drive one of these cars?
TN:
The right word is excitement. It’s something new for us as well. For everybody watching the car and seeing it, it’s impressive and it’s a step forward in terms of pace. From the driveability, you can maybe adapt it a little bit more for your driving style, due to the centre diff. After that it’s the brain that has to get used to the speed. It won’t be so difficult for us, we’ll get into it and get used to it quickly.

Q:
How do you feel about the Monte. It’s been cruel and kind to you…
TN:
Much more unkind than kind! But we make some improvements and finishing third last year was good. Being on the podium last year was great for me. On one hand this is the start of the season and you want to do well, but at the same time points are important. I hope to be on a good rhythm early, but there will be a lot of surprises for everybody. There are also some questions: how fast will we be? Did we do a good job?

Q:
Can you fight for the championship?
TN:
If you are here and doing this, it’s because you want the championship. It’s been difficult in the last couple of years, Seb has been very strong with Volkswagen. But the chances have grown [for winning], even if Citroen has come back. The championship is going to be very interesting. There are a lot of potential winners on every rally and we’ll definitely try to do our best.

FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP
 
Present:
Andreas Mikkelsen, Škoda Motorsport
Bryan Bouffier, Gemini Clinic Rally Team

Q:
Andreas, the last WRC event - Rally Australia last year - was won by you, but you’re here in a WRC 2 car; how do you feel?
AM:
I feel good. I’m happy to be here. Obviously it was a special case this year. I never imagined this when we ended last season – but we didn’t have so many possibilities. I’m really happy Škoda gave me this opportunity, it’s much better than staying at home. Even though it’s not a World Rally Car, it’s still a good car and in the conditions we have you can still do a good result in an R5 car. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Q:
Second at shakedown was a good start… 
AM:
Yeah, but I never would imagine that. OK, I know this stage from last year, so we tried to drive at rally pace and the time was very good. We have to keep in mind we were early on the road and I’m sure the guys with new cars were looking after them and finding out about them.

Q:
Is there pressure for a WRC 2 win?
AM:
Well, of course there is always pressure to perform, we are driving for a manufacturer and we have to deliver. But it would be nice to finish Monte Carlo with a win. We have good possibilities, but there are a lot of good drivers at the same time. This event is not about always being the fastest and going flat-out all the time, on this one, you have to be smart and clever. It’s not a typical event, but there will be some tough competition with my team-mates and with Bryan [Bouffier] and [Kevin] Abbring.

Q:
What’s the latest on you coming back to the WRC full-time?
AM:
Well, I’m working very hard on this to be honest. The aim is to be back full-time in 2018, and with a manufacturer like I’m used to. This year will be halfway. We’re doing this event with Škoda and I’m working hard to see the [Volkswagen] Polo [R WRC] 17 car running later in the year, it would be nice to have some events in that one.

Q:
Bryan, WRC 2 is going to be tough this year?
BB:
Yes, for sure. It’s always tough at the Monte Carlo and WRC 2 was tough last year – it’s second to the main WRC, so it’s a huge challenge. It’s good to have the chance to compete against them. It’s good when the event is so high [calibre], but I don’t remember so many stages we could drive at 100 per cent, usually we’re always playing with the grip.

Q:
How do these conditions compare with previous Montes?
BB:
I forgot them! I start from zero. It can be tough tomorrow for the tyres, but the following day it looks quite easy. I’m sure the stages will change a lot – becoming dirty. This evening when it went dark it became icy very quickly, this will be happening especially on the north face. This can be one of the most difficult.

Q:
What’s your strategy for the event?
BB:
I think it’s important to have in the mind how is it going. If you try to compare with the year before you can make some mistakes, but until now there’s no strategy: we’ll do our best and see.

Q: 
What about the rest of the season?
BB:
It looks like Corsica, then there are some possibilities if we find some money, but of course I would like.

FIA WRC 3 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
Charles Martin, Renault Sport Racing Team
Raphael Astier

Q:
Charles, how were the conditions on the recce?
CM:
I thought they would be OK, but when we came close to Gap it was the real Monte Carlo. This is my first time in Monte. We have to manage the tyres.

Q:
How’s your confidence?
CM:
I’m not under pressure, so there’s not a big thing to win. But I have to thank Renault for this very nice present to be here. I will try to enjoy and go to the end. Maybe the one at the end will be the winner.

Q:
What stages or days are going to be most difficult?
CM:
It’s the first time for me and it’s difficult to remember the stages – but all of them around Gap will be difficult.

Q:
Looking forward to it?
CM:
Yes, really looking forward to it.

Q:
Raphael, a huge challenge this week – are you ready?
RA: 
Yes, it’s a big challenge. This is my first time here. The conditions are tricky. We will see, but the target is for the maximum kilometres.

Q:
How was shakedown?
RA:
It was OK. I discovered some new tyres, but the road was not so clean after the World Rally Cars.

Q:
Is this a one-off WRC event?
RA:
I want to do five events, but we validate this after Monte.