Present:
1st - Thierry Neuville, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
1st - Nicolas Gilsoul, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
2nd - Elfyn Evans, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
2nd - Daniel Barritt, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
3rd - Teemu Suninen, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
3rd - Mikko Markkula, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
Michel Nandan, Team Principal, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT

Q:
Thierry, what a weekend it has been for you and you now lead the championship. I guess it’s a win-win all round?
TN:
It is actually. It’s a long time that I have not felt so good in the car. When you are always fighting with the fastest you have a good feeling. But this weekend was special. From second on the road we knew it would be tough. I had a good Friday and I knew that I had a chance to be on the podium and win the rally. I lost time on the first stage and then I was only 10 seconds off the lead at the end of the morning loop. In the afternoon we had rough conditions and we lost many cars and Seb (Ogier), who made a mistake. That was a key point for us.

Q:
What did you think when you heard about the problems for Seb?
TN:
Before I heard anything, I saw it. I was a bit disturbed for the next few corners. I knew he was gone and there was a good result to take here. Then I found back the rhythm and started pushing again. It motivated me more. I knew that we could take the win this weekend. It was a good decision to have to take at that time. The strategy worked well on Friday afternoon. You know I have more than a couple of years experience in WRC and I have learned a lot. I used to share a team with Sebastien Loeb. He was that kind of guy as well. He was able to go for points and we did it this weekend.

Q:
I guess the only negative is that you will be first on the road in Sardinia?
TN:
We might have less smile on our faces in Sardinia but that is part of the game. But I will come there with a 19-point lead over the man to beat, so I guess it’s a good compromise. Maybe I will not be happy during the weekend.

Q:
What are your feelings about the weekend?
NG:
I feel really fantastic. It was a great weekend for Thierry and I and many of our staff who are Portuguese. They are in the shadow of us. It has been great in the car. We were able to evolve our speed as the race progressed.

Q:
Friday was a difficult day with rougher stages and the risk of punctures. What was your strategy?
NG:
It was a really difficult day but it brought us opportunities to perform. We did. I am not convinced our tyre choice on Friday afternoon was the right one. At one point we got some information and we had to make a decision, based on temperatures and the state of the road and we had to make a choice. We managed well the five stages because we had to do the two Porto street stages as well.

Q:
Elfyn, a great second position for you and a world away from a few weeks ago in Argentina. A first podium of the season. How are you feeling? 
EE:
A bit relieved to be honest. The season has not got off the way we had hoped. It ended last year with positive rallies and we had high expectations for the season. One thing led to another and it snowballed into a dismal season until this point. We have come away with second place. It’s not perfect but it’s pleasing.

Q:
Have you made any changes to the car?
EE:
Here and there, a few changes to the car in the pre-event test. We also studied a few loose ends in Argentina and it seemed to click here from the start.

Q:
Was there any pressure on you from Malcolm (Wilson) to perform bearing in mind that the team had taken the Manufacturers’ win last season?
EE:
Yes naturally. I would be doing the same in his shoes as well. I left more pressure on my side than his side. Hopefully this will turn the tide a bit for us. I am looking forward to Sardinia. I have good memories from my WRC debut there in 2013.

Q:
Daniel, it’s great to see you on the podium. How are you feeling?
DB:
Very good and it’s very pleasing after a difficult few months. I was out for six or eight weeks and feel perfectly fine now. I have two rallies under my belt and this was a good one. I think the pressure is relieved a little now. We can look forward for a repeat on the next couple of rallies. As the day went on we grew a bit in confidence. We knew the splits were good but the stage times were not quite there. But, Friday afternoon, we found ourselves in a good position. Saturday was a strong day and set us up for today.

Q:
Teemu, a first-ever WRC podium for you. How are you feeling?
TS:
The feeling is great to get the first podium. It is a big step in my career. I am sure it will help in the future.

Q:
In Argentina, you were told that you must finish. But you were told you can go for it here?
TS:
Actually Friday morning I was struggling. It was a new car for me in these conditions and I needed to find my limits. After that I was able to push on the limits on the rally and got a really good result for the team. The team put in a great effort for me and they were trusting me with good support.

Q:
You are very self-critical, but you must be happy?
TS:
I am happy what I have done especially after Seb (Ogier) retired and we were able to get the good points for the team. I needed to drive on the limit in the final stage. I knew then that I could take the last few corners a bit more carefully. Still we were about to collect Power Stage points. That’s good.

Q:
Mikko, you have been with Teemu from the start. What does it feel like to get this result?
MM:
It is really good. I did not expect a podium finish. This is only our sixth rally in a WRC car, although we did come close on the second one. It is difficult to see if we can do it again. We try and do our best. There was no pressure for him. We had no clear plan what result we could get here.

Q:
Poland last year was your first time in a World Rally Car?
MM:
For Poland we tested one day in the UK and, for Finland, 100km in Finland. We have had four days of testing during this year.

Q:
Michel, a brilliant win for Thierry and Nicolas. What have been your impressions?
MN:
Thierry did a fantastic rally since the beginning to increase and keep his lead in the same timeframe more or less. The final day he was comfortable with a good margin and he drove good stages and made no mistakes. Like a proper champion!

Q:
Can he hold on to the championship lead now?
MN:
You know this weekend the team did a good job. I know we had an issue with some cars. Everybody was there doing the best for the team. We missed out last year and now Thierry is leading. We will support him to try and keep his position.

Q:
Talk to us about Dani (Sordo) and Andreas (Mikkelsen)?
MN:
Dani is delivering fantastic drives since the beginning of the season. He drove well in Mexico and Argentina and here also. He held third position but he could not keep the third position. He was not helped… On the Power Stage he was able to push. This year is one of the best years for Dani. At the moment we have fantastic teamwork and everyone is committed. Since the beginning of the season Andreas was missing a bit of confidence in the car. He could not push to the limit. You need to be confident in the car. We find it finally to get him confident and he was really happy with that. He had issues on the first day and he knew that he had to finish this rally. It was important for Hyundai. He did it very well. It is difficult to ask a driver who wants to compete to bring the car to the finish. On the Power Stage he did well. He will be ready for Sardinia.

FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
1st - Pontus Tidemand, Škoda Motorsport
1st - Jonas Andersson, Škoda Motorsport

Q:
Pontus, what a weekend! The top three changed around and you came through to take the win?
PT:
It was a hard rally for everyone. On Friday we had two punctures and lost quite a lot of time. We entered Saturday and had only one strategy. It worked out for us. It was a great day.

Q:
With the double punctures on Friday, did you think the win was out of your grasp?
PT:
You never give up. On a rally a lot of things can happen. We go out and give our best, and we did, and the car was working very well and it worked out. It was very rough in places, rougher than we expected. It’s always rough in Portugal. On the recce it was not so rough.

Q:
Where do we see you next?
PT:
We will not be in Sardinia. I don’t know which events next. I hope Finland.

Q:
Jonas, it was a difficult weekend and a very strong field in WRC 2. It was quite a win?
JA:
Definitely and it was not easy. We tried to keep our heads cool and, on Saturday, we tried to go quite hard. After spending time in this team, we know each other and the car and we pushed hard and we knew when to back off a bit. The team provided is with a great car. At the end of Saturday we were back on top again and today was a bit easier. We were not flat out today

Q:
Tell us about the Fafe stage?
JA:
There was a great atmosphere. There were no dramas today. We were not cruising, that is the wrong word. After Friday, we knew it would be tough work to get back on top. You need a bit of luck. We were unlucky on Friday and then the others had problems on Saturday.

FIA JUNIOR / WRC 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Present:
1st - Dennis Rådström
1st - Johan Johansson

Q:
Dennis, a second win of the season and you won by around 14 or 15 minutes. You could have stopped for a coffee on the stages!
DR:
It has been a fantastic weekend. We did not expect to be in such a fast pace. We knew it would be a big challenge. We pushed in a clever way and took care of the car.

Q:
It was a big battle out there with Emil Bergkvist. Were you feeling any pressure?
DR:
With the Junior programme you get stage points. We needed to stay cool and it was good in the end.

Q:
Now that you are leading the championship, what is the plan?
DR:
To work harder now. We know it will be a close battle in Finland and Turkey. I would also like to thank the organisation for a fantastic event. We have memories for life, especially from the Porto street stage. It was a great rally. We took the (Fafe) jump carefully, but the atmosphere was amazing.

Q:
Johan, from the co-driving seat, did it all go well?
JJ:
Very well. We had a plan and we make it and it is good.

Q:
A lot of your rivals were falling by the wayside?
JJ:
Today was a new step for Dennis and me. We were in a new position to be with such a big lead.  We work hard physically and we have a mental coach. We hope to continue like this now.