"I made some small changes to the differential set-up at the midday service and the stage started well. I felt confident with the car and my split times were good. About halfway through on a narrow road I came to a left hand corner and tried to follow the line of the cars ahead. I must have taken a slightly tighter line because I hit a concrete stone which broke the suspension. I drove on for another 500m until I found somewhere wide enough to stop."


Toni Gardemeister [Suzuki WRT]: [retired from event after SS14 / in service G - overheating problems]

[Speaking at end of day 4] "Without the problems that we unfortunately encountered, we would have been fighting for points here ­ which I knew was possible from the start and P-G has also proved with his excellent performance. It's clear that the car has a lot of potential, so actually I'm very happy. Now that the season is underway, we have to keep working hard to improve the car all the time. Our next rally is Sweden, which I like a lot. If we can find a good rhythm, it's certainly possible for us to do well there."

[Speaking in service G] "It's disappointing to be forced into retirement, especially considering the fact that up until the end of it today was very good. The stages were well suited to the car, and while I'm sorry not to be able to finish the event, it has been a very positive experience for me and the whole team. We need to continue working hard to further improve our speed and reliability, but I have every confidence that we will get there."





Team principals:

Olivier Quesnel [Citroen Total WRT - team principal]:

"This result owes much to the talent of Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena. They put in a perfect run. Another win for the team on the WRC's particularly challenging curtain-raiser is a fitting reward for all the hard work put in by everyone at Citroën Sport."

"It's immensely satisfying to have started my job as Director of Citroën Sport with a win on the Monte Carlo Rally. It gives us a solid footing in both championships. I remain lucid, however, because the team is often successful on sealed surfaces. A totally different challenge awaits us in Sweden. Our rivals will doubtlessly be very strong in the slippery conditions and the fight promises to be more open."


Malcolm Wilson [BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT - team director]:

"There was a lot of pressure on Mikko but he filled the slot left by Marcus Grönholm and I'm impressed with the job he did. I couldn't have asked more in terms of the result. It was a steep learning curve for Jari-Matti but he has drawn experience from the weekend and will feel the benefit later in the season."


Mark Deans [Ford of Europe - motorsport director]:

"To finish the most famous rally in the championship with five cars in the top 10 leaderboard was a great result for Ford. It sets the level that we must aspire to for the rest of the season, and I'm confident we can live up to that."


Ahmed Hussein [Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority - deputy director general]:

"This is an excellent result to kick-start the 2008 season for Abu Dhabi. For Mikko to finish second on this event which many regard as Loeb's own is a fantastic achievement and it was a great moment to see him and his Abu Dhabi-branded Ford Focus RS on the podium. It is a shame that both Jari-Matti and Sheikh Khalid lost time through their problems but both showed great determination and skill in reaching the finish and this once again demonstrates exactly the reasons that Abu Dhabi has joined the WRC. I am sure that this season will prove even more successful than last year in our objective of developing awareness of Abu Dhabi as a world-class destination to the global WRC fanbase."


Ichiro Kudoh [Subaru – manufacturer principal:

"This weekend has been a great result for us. It's exactly what we expected from the team. Petter and Chris both drove extremely well on what is a very difficult rally, and we will use this great start to give us a boost for the rest of season. It's very important not only for us but for the Subaru fans all over the world."


Malcolm Wilson [Stobart VK M-Sport Ford WRT - team boss]:

"It is a fantastic start to the season for the Stobart team; all four entered cars inside the top ten, both nominated crews scoring points and they have grabbed a strong position in the manufacturers' championship. For François to be so close to a podium is a remarkable achievement and you must remember this is his first time in the car. It's very promising to see that the new guys have got to grips with the car and team so quickly."


Andrew Tinkler [Stobart Group CEO]: