Present:
Andreas Mikkelsen, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
Sébastien Ogier, M-Sport World Rally Team
Hayden Paddon, Hyundai Motorsport 
Jari-Matti Latvala, Toyota GAZOO Racing World Rally Team

Q:
Andreas welcome back to the WRC! What is it like to be back on the top flight and in a World Rally Car with Citroen?
AM:
It's a great feeling to be back with the big guys! I have been waiting for this moment over six months and it feels really really good. Obviously it is going to be a difficult weekend. Rally Sardegna has always been a tricky rally for me and now we have a new car and this won't make things easier. I think we will build step by step and hopefully we will be quite competitive by the end of the weekend, but I expect it to be difficult from the very beginning.

Q:
You are still adapting to the car, as you said, any instructions from your team?
AM:
No, not really. Just do what I want, drive to where I feel comfortable and then see where we are. As I said I only had one day in the car, so to be expecting to fight at the front is a bit too much, but, ok, we have a good starting position, hopefully that can help us and then we can progressively feel the car more and more and be faster and faster.

Q:
One day testing, how was it and how did you find your Citroen?
AM:
It was in France, in different conditions compared to here, but the initial feeling was really good. I got a good feeling with the car but, yes, after so many years in a Polo it takes time to get used to a new car. So a little bit more than one day!

Q:
What was it like in the shakedown this morning? Do you feel you have a good setup for the event?
AM:
Yeah, I mean, we did some small changes and tried little different things.

Q:
Like what?
AM:
Some differential modes, ride heights and different pitch, so I think now we found something I could work on for the first stage tomorrow, I hope.

Q:
Obviously everybody is hoping it's not a one-off and we have seen Yves [Matton] say that he doesn't plan it to be one-off, but I guess you don't know any more than this event, or do you?
AM:
No, it is planned only for this event so far, where hopefully we can have a good rally and make it more.

Q:
Seb, Championship leader, how are you feeling ahead of Rally Sardegna, are you feeling happy, confident, ready to go?
SO:
Yes, I feel good. It is always good to be named the championship leader, to be honest, but that means the first day is going to be tough, but it's part of the game now, we have to deal with it, it's always a crucial day in the championship. We need to fight hard to pick up the better starting position for the rest of the race. I feel good in the car, the last rally was good so let's see what we can do this weekend.

Q:
All the cars are so competitive and they are quite level, are we seeing a really changeable championship, with a variation of drivers, and do you feel that you have to give that little bit more this year to keep up and give that extra-push?
SO:
In the past it may have looked easy from the outside, but it has never been easy. Anyway, fighting hard and giving a lot, it's quite true that the battle is very intense and a lot of new parameters and new cars for everyone and it looks like the competitiveness of everyone is close, so it is exciting and interesting and I think everyone loves it, it’s the same for us. I often mentioned in the past that my most beautiful victory is the one where I have to fight hard to get it and that's the case right now; it's hard to get victories but like in Portugal when it happens it feels really good.

Q:
When it is so competitive is it more motivating than it has been in the past?
SO:
So far in my career motivation never failed, I would say. I was always motivated, but year after year I guess you need something extra, something that pushes you a little more and this year I knew from the moment I signed with M-Sport that I would have a big challenge and that I needed to give everything I have, and that is the case. But so far the bet is still on and we still have chance to fight for the championship so I am pleased with that so far, but there is still a long way to go.

Q:
Jari-Matti, talk to me about the setup of the car in terms of dealing with the heat, because in all the hot rallies we have seen all of the cars suffer with overheating. Is that going to be an issue here?
J-ML:
For sure it is a demanding rally for the cars driving in hot temperatures but I would say the most demanding situation is when you are in high altitude and then you have hot conditions like Mexico, a bit in Argentina. Here we are not so high. Ok, you have hot conditions, but the stages are not that long, so, to be fair, I am not so worried for this event.

Q:
Talk to me about the feeling with the car at shakedown this morning, everything's ok?
J-ML:
Yes, we just did four runs, we were testing a bit of setup because we didn't have a real test after Portugal and before this event, so we had two weeks off and that's why I wanted to get more feeling with the driving and try a couple of little things.

Q:
What little things?
J-ML:
Just something on the suspension...

Q:
Something?
J-ML:
Interesting! Something interesting!

Q:
Talk to me about tyres this morning. What did you go out with on shakedown?
J-ML:
I was on soft tyres all the way through.

Q:
All of you on soft tyres?
AM:
No, we were on hard.
SO:
Mixed.
HP:
Soft.

Q:
Jari-Matti, what do you think is possible for you here in terms of a result, with what you know of the car?
J-ML:
If I think about the rally where the cleaning effect is the biggest in the championship, it's Mexico, this one and Australia. Like Seb said, he's going to have a tough position when he is the first car on the road. I will be the third car on the road so at least there is a bit of a line, but, like Seb mentioned, you have to fight on Friday first to get your position for Saturday. I mean, we did some work for Portugal, I think we improved the car, we are getting faster. Unfortunately I got sick and then things went wrong. I could not get the best performance anymore for myself and then did a mistake and that was basically it for the fight. I hope what we did in Portugal will work here in Sardinia and now, at least, I feel I am fit and I am not getting sick anymore. It should be fine.

Q:
Is it good to have your ex colleague Andreas Mikkelsen back in WRC?
J-ML:
Yes, absolutely. It is very nice to see Andreas driving, he really deserves to be there and I think it has been a very tough time for him fighting and winning the last rally at the end of 2016 and then you're not driving in the championship, so I am really happy to see him back.

Q:
Hayden, talk to me about your feeling ahead of the event and your season so far.
HP:
Probably there is not much point to talk about the season so far, it's been very bad but we are looking forward. We are now starting to feel better with the car. The last month we made some big steps. In Portugal, and again even here in the shakedown, I feel like I am part of the car now and I am not fighting it, so this is good for the future, now we can start to try to build confidence and hopefully get some results.

Q:
What big steps with your car would you say?
HP:
On various things. I think everybody is in the same situation trying to learn their new cars, how to get the most from them. Maybe for the first part of this year we have been following my team-mates too closely for the setup. The way I drive the car is quite different, and now we are adapting the setup to be more suited to me and just focusing a lot on all the car, the whole package. 

Q:
How do you find this rally as a driver in terms of the challenge that it offers?
HP:
I think it is one of the most challenging gravel rallies that we do. There are many different types of stages, some are very typical and slow. The stages on sand are rough and, obviously, the high temperatures and tyre strategy and, you know, I think this is not necessarily a rally on pure speed. I think you have to look after the car and it is very easy to get caught out here, so it is important to be tidy this weekend and make no mistakes.

Q:
How crucial is the tyre strategy here?
HP:
I don't think it’s a clear cut strategy here. The afternoons are probably pretty easy and the morning loops are a little bit complicated. I think there might be a few tyre strategies, also depending on your road position, so I don't think there will be a right or wrong but I think there will be many different choices.

FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
Ole Christian Veiby, Printsport
Fabio Andolfi, ACI Team Italia

Q:
Ole Christian, welcome back to the WRC 2. You’ve had a busy time since we last saw you, competing in the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship where you lead the championship. Does that make you even more prepared for this event?
OCV:
We have done two rallies in the Asia-Pacific. All the rallies were on gravel and as you know this rally also is. We get some good training for this rally. We started pretty well, so it feels good now.

Q:
How are the stages looking here? What do they offer for a driver?
OCV:
For sure it is very tricky. We can see from the shakedown now, big rocks coming up. It is my first time in this kind of rally with rough roads, so I think it will be all about surviving. The smallest mistake is crucial; you need to keep it in the middle of the road.

Q:
You want to survive, but what is your objective result-wise here?
OCV:
If you do no mistakes, no punctures and there are no issues in this rally I think you obviously have a top finish and we are aiming for that.

Q:
Fabio, we see you in the WRC 2 Championship this season and now at your home event. What is your hope here in Sardinia?
FA:
My objective in my home rally is to arrive at the end of the race, to have fun and to increase our experience with the car in WRC 2 and to set good times.

Q:
How are you finding the Hyundai i20 R5? 
FA:
The car is really nice, but we need to drive more in it to get more confidence.

Q:
So you said you are going to enjoy yourself, but obviously you want to get some good results, so what are you hoping for?
FA:
It's important not to make mistakes and find the right rhythm until the end.

FIA JUNIOR WRC CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
Dennis Rådström
Terry Folb

Q:
Dennis, we have seen you in the first round of the Junior WRC, what are your hope here and how competitive are you on gravel?
DR:
For sure we are better on gravel, we used to race on that. It is going to be a tough rally, we just need to get our eyes open and aim for the finish.

Q:
What have you thought about the stages from what you have seen on the recce? How challenging is it going to be?
DR:
It is going to be tough. Right now, on the recce, it was really good. We have done some preparation on the roads but it is going to be tough. 

Q:
It is going to be challenging for you but you tested this morning, how did that go?
DR:
It felt good from the beginning, not so much to change, the tyres are feeling good and so we will see.

Q:
What is your first impression about the Junior WRC Championship after one round?
DR:
There are really tough competitors, we are the rookies so we cannot expect too much. We do what we can and try to get some more experience.

Q:
You are enjoying it, though?
DR:
Yeah!

Q:
Terry, talk to me about your hopes for this event, because there are some strong competitors…
TF:
We have strong competitors in the Juniors, it's my first time in Sardinia and the rally is really difficult. For sure the objective is not to do mistakes and to finish the rally. We started not very well in Corsica with a ninth place. Yes, the rally is difficult but I enjoy to start it.

Q:
Testing this morning was good?
TF:
Yes, it was good. We had a good feeling with Chris [Guieu, co-driver] in the car. The setup is good, we are ready.

Q:
This is a tough event from many aspects, the heat being one of them. Have you been doing anything special in preparation to deal with the heat in the car?
TF:
No, we changed nothing. The rally is difficult, we know we cannot drive fast, we must think before driving, that's all.

FIA WRC 3 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
Pancho Name, Name Rua Racing

Q:
Pancho, you had a few dramas this morning at shakedown, talk to us about what happened.
PN:
We were pushing a little bit and testing how was the grip then a little brake in one tight corner on the right and we rolled. But that's part of the experience and we are working to go out with the car.

Q:
What damage was done to the car?
PN:
It's not a really big damage, it's more in the body of the car so we are working hard to get the car ready.

Q:
That's a bit of a wakeup call before the rally gets underway because you come off the back of a win in Portugal, which was a great result for you and you were still building your confidence with the car. Do you feel you have adapted to the car now or not?
PN:
I feel so much better with the car now, that's part of the experience you know. Being in the first time of a rally like Sardegna, that is very slippery and with different kinds of conditions, you have to learn and I was telling my co-driver that it was good learning in the shakedown,  and not in the stages. But it is good, I mean, we feel more confident and I think it was good just to learn; we are going to make a very smart race from now on.

Q:
You have taken away maximum points from the previous round in WRC 3; do you think you can push for a win again here?
PN:
Everything is possible, as we saw in Portugal. I think that if we are smart and we push in the stages that we need to push, save the car in the tough parts, I think we can get a good result.