Nasser Al-Attiyah and Giovanni Bernacchini - Q&A
Ford Fiesta RRC men Nasser Al-Attiyah and Giovanni Bernacchini reflect after winning Rally Argentina and taking their second WRC2 win on the trot...
Q:
Nasser, congratulations on the result, second win for you in a row in WRC 2. You took victory in Portugal just a couple of weeks ago and now in Argentina. How are you feeling?
Nasser Al-Attiyah:
Thank you so much. I'm happy to win here. We have been really very clever all this weekend. We saved our car and we tried to do our best because the race was very hard. It was not easy but we found a really good pace and we lead by a big gap and after that we controlled all this weekend. It is a great win here.
Q:
You said you controlled the whole weekend. Were there any issues at all, Nasser? You made it look easy.
Nasser Al-Attiyah:
Not too easy. I think most of the drivers did not use the brain here. You know because when you push you get a lot of trouble and we have been really clever.
Q:
You talked to us about SS2 before the event and said how difficult that stage was. But today, especially on the El C?ndor stage, that was incredible. How difficult was it?
Nasser Al-Attiyah:
Actually, today is slower stages. There is no high speed like stage 2. SS2 is really fast and very rough with a lot of ditches. In general the rally is really hard and today the situation was very difficult because there was a lot of fog and it was raining. We are quite happy to have this result.
Q:
This looks good now for the Championship; two wins in a row. You must be very confident for the season ahead?
Nasser Al-Attiyah:
Yes. After Portugal, we worked a lot to keep going and to get a good result in this race. We found ourselves really in a good position. We had the first place all weekend without any problems and we are quite happy.
Q:
Congratulation Giovanni. Nasser made it look easy but it is not an easy event. It is a tough challenge here in Argentina for you too.
Giovanni Bernacchini:
First of all, thank you. Yes, actually not easy at all. It was very difficult because the first day the long stages were very difficult, especially number 2, but I think we made a perfect job. After that we were leading with a big gap and the last two days it was not easy to manage this gap. When you have a gap to manage you have to go slow and it is not so easy because you are scared to break the car and you try to avoid every stone. Today honestly, for me, it was all so difficult. In El C?ndor the first and the second passes with the fog and the mud everywhere, it was slippery. And in these conditions we had just to finish. So, every corner was, not a nightmare, but when you pass one, you start saying one less, one less, one less. But we did it. We made a very good job with the team. The car was perfect. So, two victories in a row in the Championship is a brilliant start to the season. We also won three rallies in the Middle East. At the moment we cannot ask for more.
Q:
Does it feel special to win such a classic event as Rally Argentina?
Giovanni Bernacchini:
Of course. It is great. Argentina is a classic in the World Championship. For me, it is one of the best rallies even if it is one of the most difficult. It is beautiful with the places, the people, the fans. There are amazing. They are everywhere. Many fans for us but especially for Nasser because they know him from the Dakar. It is very good to be here and win.
