END OF DAY “MEET THE CREWS” SESSION DAY 1 – 22-8-2013

Present:

Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport
Malcolm Wilson, Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team
Yves Matton, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Motosport
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Motorsport
Thierry Neuville, Qatar World Rally Team


Q:
Jost, on home soil for Volkswagen, what is it like for your team?
JC:
It is quite exciting as it is our first rally on home soil. The enthusiasm in Cologne was fantastic, we were overwhelmed. The Domplatte really is a great place.

Q:
Sébastien (Ogier) had a strong start. How do you rate his performance?
JC:
It was a strong start for Sébastien, but also for Jari-Matti (Latvala). Let’s not forget that this is our first rally on tarmac. The test team delivered a great set-up.

Q:
All the factory is watching, what does that mean for you?
JC:
Of course, we want to win here and all the support from our German fans could make that happen.

Q:
Malcolm, with Thierry Neuville currently in third place, what are your thoughts so far?
MW:
At least we are in the top three, but we are further down than we had thought to be. Everyone seems to be struggling with the set-up, but Thierry is confident for tomorrow.

Q:
Is a podium finish possible for you here?
MW:
When I look at the performance of the others, it will be difficult, but hopefully we will be in the fight tomorrow. We can do better than we did tonight.

Q:
What happened with Evgeny Novikov?
MW:
He slid off the road on the first stage and couldn’t get it back on track again. The car is not damaged and he is already back on his way here. He will be out to compete tomorrow.


Q:
Yves, Dani loves tarmac and he was looking forward to this rally, but he seems to be a little bit off the pace after the first two stages. What happened?
YM:
He lost a lot of time on the first stage. The position on the road seems to be important on this stage. He is still confident for tomorrow and the stages in the vineyards will be completely different, so he will have a good pace.

Q:
Over the years, Citroën have dominated in Germany as a team. Is there a pressure on the team to try and repeat the performances of the past?
YM:
On the team and on the drivers, for sure. The aim is to win and to continue our string of victories here.

Q:
With regard to Mikko (Hirvonen), he had a little lack of confidence on the first stages, but he has never done so well on tarmac. What can you do to inspire confidence for him?
YM:
On the first stage, he bent a wheel and that is the reason he lost a lot of time, but he is really happy. We made some little changes on the set-up tonight, but he is also very confident. He says that tomorrow, he will have a good pace.

Q:
Sébastien, what a great start to the event, the home event for Volkswagen. Please talk about these opening two stages.
SO:
Of course, we are leading the rally and that was the plan. I announced before the start that we wanted to push to win this rally. It is important to lead tonight, because it is an advantage for tomorrow to be first on the road. We hope to keep it. I struggled a bit in the first stage, a bit like everyone, but when I registered that it was difficult for the guys behind, it was a relief for me. I was worried that the set-up was wrong, the car understeered a lot and I had a moment at the beginning of the stage, so it wasn’t really a good start. The second stage was good, I had more grip and I think everybody enjoyed this stage more. Tomorrow, we have the stages into the vineyards and I like this area.

Q:
For the first time, you had the ceremonial start in Cologne. What was that like?
SO:
It was quite impressive. I had never been there. The cathedral is really amazing, impressive and it is nice to start the rally in front of that, but there were also a lot of spectators, so I am sure that some of them will now follow the rally and that was good promotion for us.

Q:
Jari-Matti, a great start for the rally. We have seen your confidence on tarmac grow over the years, especially here in Germany. Question is: can you catch your team-mate?
J-ML:
He started really well on the first stage. The second stage we were closer, but he had a really good start. I was happy with my car. We also had slight understeer, like Seb had as well. Maybe it was just the characteristics of the stage. My main challenge will be with Thierry, because we are both second in the championship, so we need to look at each other, but on the other hand, if I can keep close to Seb and maybe challenge him a bit, that would be nice.


Q:
We saw some good times from you this evening, but is there more pace to come?
J-ML:
I just need to be slightly more confident with the car. If it is clean tarmac, I can do well, but on the dirty parts and the cuts, I am losing a little bit of time, but if we can improve that tomorrow, we will be getting better.

Q:
Seb mentioned he likes the vineyards tomorrow, but I know that you like the military area at Panzerplatte. How much are you looking forward to that?
J-ML:
The target is always to complete all the other stages that you actually get to the military area. I always enjoy to drive over there. It is my favourite area in this rally and I am looking forward to that. Still I think this rally overall can be very difficult if the weather changes. You need to stay awake all the time in this rally.

Q:
Thierry, you are third at the moment and hoping to come away with a podium. Are you happy with your pace after two stages or do you think you need to make some changes?
TN:
I can’t be happy with my performance of the first stage. These two guys were doing very well there, but I had no confidence and I was doing badly. The second one I had a good run and I was pleased. The stages tomorrow will be very different and I like them very much. The set-up will be a little bit more adapted and I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Q:
Are you going to be changing set-up at all?
TN:
We already worked on the set-up between the first and the second stage, but as I said, tomorrow it is completely different. We have tested a lot in the vineyards and the set-up for tomorrow, I will feel comfortable with it. Me and Jari-Matti are both second in the championship. I want to stay in second place, so I will do my best.

Q:
You said yesterday that you wouldn’t take risks this weekend, but when you get into competition, surely that changes. Are you feeling a little bit braver now maybe?
TN:
I didn’t say I wasn’t going to take risks, I just said not all the risks. But sometimes I have to take some risk to follow, but I also have to think and stay on the road to fight with Jari-Matti tomorrow.

Q:
Seb, coming back to you. As I mentioned before, it is the home rally for your team. Has it been more busy than, let’s say, in France with questions, autograph sessions etc.?
SO:
Before the rally, it was quite busy for me, a lot of requests. Obviously, I really like to be here, to be supported by German people and I want to do my best to try to give them victory at home. I just spoke with Jari-Matti and we said we should be able to speak a little bit German like him (Thierry Neuville). I have to learn and in the future, I will be able to say a few words in German as well.