[Speaking after SS4] "Everything was too soft – the car set-up, the tyres and even the driver!. I expected the roads to be damp in the shade but they were totally dry and the tyres were moving all the time. I knew after just a few hundred metres of the first stage in the group that it was the wrong choice. The compound was OK but there were too many cuts. Now we have to do better in the final two stages to regain some time."
[Speaking after SS2] "The first stage was slippery but there was more grip on the second stage than I thought and I didn't have the confidence to attack on the abrasive surface. I could have driven faster over the first 10km but I just drove too carefully. I chose soft compound dry weather tyres and that was the right choice for both stages. There are a lot of trees alongside the roads and even though the sun came out, it didn't dry out in the shaded areas. It's tricky driving in mixed conditions and tyre choice will be hard now because the open areas will be dry, but it will stay wet in the shady parts."
Mikko Hirvonen [BP Ford WRT]:
"At the start of the first stage, on damp roads, I had no confidence. I was seven seconds slower than Marcus on the first 4km. It was the right tyre choice, it was just a struggle for me in those conditions. The car was happy, it's just the driver that wasn't! I felt more comfortable with my driving on the drier roads and I had a better feeling. It's tricky to choose the right set-up when conditions are mixed like this. The whole package has to be exactly right to set the best times. Now I need to keep the pressure on tomorrow to try to keep François Duval behind me. It's important for the team's title challenge and for Marcus' title hopes that we both finish ahead of him."
Francois Duval [OMV Kronos Citroen WRT]:
"I'm mad because the car is not performing as I would like - and sometimes the co-driver is late. However, when we clinched the scratch everything was perfect, and we managed a good time."
