Present:
Andreas Mikkelsen, Hyundai Motorsport 
Ott Tänak, M-Sport World Rally Team
Jari-Matti Latvala, Toyota GAZOO Racing World Rally Team
Stéphane Lefebvre, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team

Q: 
Andreas, the ‘fight back to WRC’ is now complete! We see you confirmed at Hyundai for the next two years and you finish the season with them. That must feel very satisfying?
AM:
I have been changing the clothes from a lot of teams, now I have found something to wear for the next couple of years. It’s a big relief to know where I am going to be for the next seasons, so now I can focus on the job of being world champion. This weekend is about getting used to the car and development towards Monte-Carlo.

Q:
You’ve tested the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, what are your thoughts? Which areas are its strengths? 
AM:
Overall in every condition and on every surface it’s very stable, it’s no surprise that this is a good overall package. It’s overall strong. You know all cars are different: in some areas the Citroen was strong, but this one is overall strong in all conditions. All cars are different, but I hope the experience from the Polo and C3 will bring some more [to the i20].

Q:
Spain has been a happy hunting ground for you but what is the plan this time? With Thierry [Neuville] fighting for the championship and Hyundai for the Manufacturers’ Championship, what is your role?
AM:
Yeah, one-two for the last three rounds is the thing to do! For me, it’s quite difficult because I want to get used to the car. It’s one thing go up the test road, when you know the stage and you know the road, you know where are the bumps and these things. But these things take time and I don’t have so much time. I have to deliver from the start and we have a big job in front of us, I have to push from the first stage even though I don’t know the car so well. I have to make sure that I can score as  many points as I can do – the team helped with lots of testing

Q:
How much testing have you done?
AM:
I have done two days on Tarmac, one day on gravel and then two more days on gravel in the R5 car. It’s been pretty intensive and you can always use more miles. One of the tough things for me will be the link I have for this event; because of the link I have to use Hayden Paddon’s differential [set-up]. His driving style is quite different to mine, so the set-up is not perfect. For Wales and Australia (which are not linked to previous rallies) it should be a lot better.

Q:
Ott, after the win in Germany you were still focused on the title fight and hadn’t ruled yourself out of the battle. It would mean delivering winning performances at each remaining event. You must believe this is possible?
OT:
We have a shot at the title. We just need to do our best. It’s definitely been a good break with lots of preparation time before this rally. We are strong and the car has performed well in all conditions, we have a good package. Now I have to manage the first stage as well as possible: there will be quite a lot of loose, but let’s do our best and see if we can stay close.

Q:
We see some new Tarmac stages, others reversed from previous years. What are your thoughts on the route? 
OT:
The Tarmac is fantastic. Catalunya is always a great place to come, the roads are so much more flowing and so smooth. Everybody says they look like the circuit, but maybe they’re a bit more challenging than that. But the feeling is great from these roads.

Q:
The rumour mill is in full flow at the moment. ‘Will Ott stay at M-Sport?’, ‘Will he move to Toyota?’ What can you tell us?
OT:
What can I say? You know how these things work. The decision will come quite soon. We need to wait a few more weeks then we will see what happens. I think we are quite close.

Q:
What will be the deciding factor?
OT:
I want the best chance and I want the best team. I want to be in the best position for the future, so we look and see where’s the best chance to fight for the championship.

Q:
Is it just Toyota or M-Sport?
OT: 
What can I say? 

Q:
You can say yes or no…
OT:
Yeah, they are the main teams…

Q:
Jari-Matti, what an interesting season it has been for Toyota. As we near the end of the year how much of a difference have you seen from the base car you started the season with to what you have now?
J-ML:
I must say, from the first test we did with this car 10 months ago, we have done big steps from there. At the start of January the first big step for Monte-Carlo, we got the car feeling like a good base. But then we did the fine-tuning and get more performance and we did another step before Portugal. In Finland we have the updated engine and I was really pleased to see how the engineers work and the team is developing all the time. Where we are now, the car is competitive on all the surfaces and this has been the aim of the year: to make it better and get it fast for every surface. Sure there are things still to be done and we can improve in all areas, but overall the year has been a better result than I would have thought we could have been managing at the start of the year.

Q:
What is the objective for the remaining events? Do you believe the team has what it takes to fight for both championships next year?
J-ML
I think even this year the speed of the car was there [to fight], but there were too many technical issues in the last three rallies and you can’t afford this when you are fighting for the championship. But this is the learning year and you expect these things can happen. When you get the car fast, you also have to get it reliable. It’s strong in the rough rallies, but then these little electrical failures need sorting out. We will have everything ready at the end of the year to fight for the full championship.

Q:
What’s the aim for these last three rallies?
J-ML:
To go out there and do my best. I hope to fight for the top places in the rallies, that’s what I want to do. It’s a nice feeling to get there, especially on the mixed surface. All the last three are very different surfaces, so it will be good if we can fight on every one of them – this will show that the car will be competitive on all surfaces.

Q:
Stéphane, the last time we saw you in action was in Poland where you put in an impressive performance and came fifth overall. What can you achieve here?
SL:
It’s a tricky one, I don’t have so much experience of this rally. I do a good recce and shakedown and now I will do my best.

Q:
How do you feel about the mixed surfaces?
SL:
It’s nice and enjoyable conditions, but I never drive on Tarmac on this rally, I never do the Tarmac stage, so it’s difficult to know. From what I see on the recce, it looks nice, but I don’t know so much what to expect.

Q:
What do you hope for?
SL:
I hope to progress stage by stage. I want to find a good rhythm on the first loop on gravel and then, for the Tarmac, to drive is really nice. It can be a nice rally.

Q:
What can you tell us about next year?
SL:
I don’t know. I have one more contract for next year, but for what car we don’t know. 

Q:
You have tested the R5?
SL:
Yes, I did some test already and it’s very good.

Q:
How do you feel you have progressed this season?
SL:
I would be nice to do more events, I have never done a full programme. Maybe when I have done this [a full programme] then this can make the difference. Experience is what makes the difference.

FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
Jon Armstrong, Drive DMACK Team
Hiroki Arai, Tommi Mäkinen Racing

Q:
Jon, we saw your WRC 2 debut in Germany last month where you claimed a fastest time against some of the very best the championship has to offer. Were you pleased with what you achieved during the event?
JA:
It was good. I started off probably a bit slower, but I was learning the car and the driving style for R5. Once I was used to the car I was able to go faster and faster. On Sunday, on the first pass of one stage I was third fastest, then on the second pass, I really went for it and got a fastest time. I was pleased, towards the end [of the event] the times were much more consistent. I was really happy for my first time in a four-wheel drive car on Tarmac.

Q:
Did you expect a fastest time so early?
JA:
It’s the kind of thing you dream about, isn’t it. You never know what’s possible until you get there. You have to believe in yourself and try as hard as you can and hope it pays off. It’s so hard to know if we’ll get back here to this level because of the budget required to compete in WRC 2 – but if I show I’ve got the pace then you never know what can happen.

Q:
This is the only split surface event we have on the championship calendar. Will you find it difficult to switch from gravel mode to tarmac?
JA:
Today was the first time I drove the car on gravel and the gravel at shakedown wasn’t really like the stages. I was comfortable enough in the car and the time’s not too bad. I did as may runs as I could to get used to the car. I’m looking forward to it, but I just hope the standard set-up for the car will work because it’ll be difficult to make too many changes. I have some good experience of the gravel stages here, I’ve done them for the last two years in a row, so I have some knowledge.

Q: 
What can you tell us about the future?
JA:
We have to see if we can get the budget and funds in place, but it’s very difficult. It’s very hard to get sponsors in Northern Ireland, but we’ll maybe have to look to see what we can get to continue at this level. It’s such a good sport, especially at this level when you are competing against the best drivers and it’s so good to know that your pace is right up there. I really want to carry on.

Q:
Hiroki, we have seen you improve throughout the season in WRC 2 and the learning continues. Although there have been many retirements, your pace has been there, especially in Finland. What are your thoughts on your season?
HA:
The feeling from the season is good. Sometimes I have the feeling from the pace notes that we make a good time, but I don’t have enough experience from the rallies – except for Finland. Except for Finland, I am doing all of the rallies for the first time. Finland is the first time I am doing a rally for the second time, so I had a good look at the stages and made some good times. This is the first time in Spain and I am looking forward to it.

Q:
Are you ready for the switch from gravel to Tarmac?
HA:
It’s hard to get the image for how it will feel to switch, but I really want to enjoy.

Q:
You have a very experienced co-driver at your side in Glenn MacNeall, how much does that help?
HA:
He is always helping me, during testing and everything. He is giving me lot of help in everything we do; outside the rally he is a lot of fun, but when we come to doing the events he is very serious in these rallies.

Q:
What sort of advice does he give you?
HA:
He tells me to be patient and how to drive the rallies.

Q:
What is the plan for 2018? 
HA:
I don’t know yet, we’ll have to wait and see in the coming months.

FIA JUNIOR WRC CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
Nil Solans
Nicolas Ciamin

Q:
Nil, home event and the final event for the FIA Junior WRC in 2017. You are the championship leader in a big fight with Nicolas Ciamin; how are you feeling and what do you need to do to secure the title?
NS:
It’s my home event, so it will be nice. We need three best [stage] times to win the championship. OK we are fighting and we have to push until the end of the rally 

Q:
Have your preparations been any different for this event?
NS:
No. It’s the same like last year for the gravel. On the Tarmac it’s different, but we did some regional rallies and maybe this is better for us.

Q:
What would it mean to win the title?
NS:
The title is not the most important thing for me. We know if we win or not we have to do very well next year to continue in this game.

Q:
What’s the plan for next year?
NS:
Right now we have four races. We don’t know, maybe we can win seven, but for me four is enough for now ¬– it’s something we never had before.

Q:
Nicolas, you lie 23 points adrift of Nil in the championship. Is there a ‘win it or bin it’ philosophy for this weekend?
NC:
Yes, that’s it. Of course, I don’t want to crash. My best way to show my speed is to win the rally and be fast. It won’t be easy.

Q:
Are you thinking about the championship?
NC:
Not too much for the championship. I think about this race and trying to win the prize drive; I cannot expect to win the championship if I do not win this race. So, I focus on the race and then the championship.

Q:
This is quite a different rally to the last one in Germany?
NC:
It’s a very different race [from Germany] and I think this is the only race where you find this kind of roads. The set-up of the car is quite different from Germany and the corners also, it’s very twisty and nice. Last year I was quite good on this rally, let’s see.

Q:
Was it difficult to switch from gravel to Tarmac last year?
NC:
No, it was quite OK: last year we had a lot of rain and mud. This year we will have it more easy – the transition should be a bit more smooth.

Q:
What about next year, do you know much about that?
NC:
I would like these two (JWRC prize-drive) races. I want to step up to WRC 2, but nothing is decided.