Khalid Al Qassimi [BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT]: [retired from day 2 in SS6 – went off the road – restarted under the SupeRally on day 3]

"This afternoon we were trying some different tactics and we had ninth in front of us and were chasing that position. We were doing well in the stage, if you look at the split times and ninth place looked achievable. Then, as we approached the flying finish of the stage, the final corner had gravel across it and the car simply broke away from me. We hit a rock by the side of the road and it took the left front suspension corner off the car. It's a shame but any driver in that situation would push to gain a place. However, something like this can happen at any time and it's all part of the learning process. As long as the car is repairable, we will try some new techniques tomorrow, to try to get closer to the pace of the other drivers."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] "The roads were damp, which made it slippery. Drivers ahead of us are cutting the corners and that drags dirt onto the roads. I still need to learn how Pirelli's tyres work and where the grip is because the grip level changes with every corner."


Daniel Sordo [Citroen Total WRT]: [retired from day 3 in SS11 – engine]

"The day started well enough. I was very pleased with the way my Citroën C4 WRC was performing and I tried to push without driving excessively quickly. The first two stages enabled us to increase our advantage over the crew following in third place, but then we had a scare with the engine on SS11 (Lamastre). I stopped to see if it was possible to repair but after a few minutes the team took the decision not to try to continue. I am obviously very disappointed not to be able to score big points for Citroën here this weekend."


Jari-Matti Latvala [BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT]: [retired from day 3 in SS12 – suspension damage]

"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."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] "I only had front-wheel drive and it was difficult to drive. The car was sideways a lot and the brakes were locking and at times it was very difficult to control. It was hard work but we will fix the problem in service and then the game will be back on again."


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

"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]:

"It's been a day of contrasting fortunes for us. Sebastien, Daniel and their Citroën C4 WRC once again showed their speed and superbly came through all the potential pitfalls unscathed. They will now need to put in the same sort of performance tomorrow and I am counting on their experience on Sunday's stages which include the Col du Turini where spectators have a habit of throwing snow onto the road. That creates an added difficulty which isn't in the pacenotes and can take the crews by surprise. I am delighted with Sébastien's day but it would have been nice to have seen Dani and Marc continue their perfectly-paced run, but turbo failure decided otherwise. After repairs, they will profit from the SupeRally ruling to re-start tomorrow morning. They are currently ninth in the classification for drivers eligible to score points and there's a chance they could finish in the points on Sunday afternoon."


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

"Mikko drove superbly to keep the pressure on Sordo this morning and kept out of trouble to move into second. I'm disappointed that Jari-Matti dropped out of the manufacturers' points but hopefully he can challenge again tomorrow. It will be a difficult day with some classic stages to come."


David Richards [Subaru WRT – team principal]:

"Both drivers performed exceptionally well today under very demanding conditions to consolidate their positions. Chris was rewarded with the only fastest stage time achieved by anyone other than last year's World Champions, and he's clearly set his heart on a podium finish. Petter drove extremely consistently and is ready to take advantage of any problems that the lead few cars encounter. The final day of competition without a full service will be very demanding, especially as it includes the famously challenging Col de Turini."


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