"There has been plenty to be pleased about today. To begin with, both our cars were both extremely competitive, and that's a fitting reward for all the hard work the team has put in. Sébastien and Daniel produced an eloquent demonstration of the C4 WRC's potential by posting the fastest time on practically every stage and by ending the day in the lead. The Finnish stages are a huge challenge but Dani and Marc showed that they are continuing to make progress. Both our crews are in a good position to finish in the big points, but this rally is by no means over yet. The second leg is very long and could well spring a surprise or two."


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

"I'm disappointed with Jari-Matti. He made a fundamental mistake in making his pace notes by not including the rock he hit. He put more pressure on Mikko, who has done an exceptional job from first in the start order. At the start of the day I felt if we could be within 15sec of the lead we would be in a good position tomorrow."


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

"It has been a really strong performance from the Stobart team today and we have seen a great battle between the two lead drivers; now only a few seconds apart. It just tells you how well the two guys have been driving and to come back from a six week break, with no pre-event testing, and put in those performances is fantastic and really encouraging. Matthew has also had a solid start to the rally and has upped his pace as the day has gone on. He's now just outside the top-10 and, with a sensible day of driving, is in a good position to build upon for tomorrow."


David Richards [Subaru WRT - managing director]:

"We came here following a strong test anticipating we would be fully competitive, and although we are currently in solid points-scoring positions, our pace is not what we expected. However we must continue to focus on maintaining a systematic approach to the development and fine-tuning of this new car as its full potential indicated by our simulations and testing is clearly not evidenced by the current performance."


Paul Wilding [Suzuki WRT - team manager]:

"Suzuki has had a very strong day with the two SX4 WRCs in the top 10 at the end of the opening leg. This is a good reflection on the work which Suzuki has been doing on the SX4 WRC for the duration of the summer. Finland is an event which is all about performance and that's what Suzuki has been working on recently. To be in this position so early in the event is very, very positive."


Mario Isola [Pirelli - rally manager]:

"We've had no problems at all with the tyres so far, but it's also true that tomorrow will be the biggest test for our new soft-compound Scorpion tyres. Over today's stages we have noted only a minimal amount of tyre wear, and there has not been a single puncture either."