Car 1, Ogier/Ingrassia
“We’re pushing as best we can. We’re going to have to work hard to clear the road, but we’ll do the best we can. We know we’re probably going to lose some time doing that, but we’ll push as hard as we can.”
Car 2, Tanak/Molder
“It was difficult in some places. Lots of people here. We’ll see what we can do tomorrow. It’s going to be a long rally. We’ll find a good pace.”
Car 3, Evans/Barritt
“It was a difficult start. A lot less grip than expected, it would be nice to win after Argentina. But it’s going to be a long weekend, we’re not kidding ourselves. We just need a good, clean rally.”
Car 4, Paddon/Marshall
“It was good. It’s always nice to have these stages on Thursday to get us into the rally. We’re hoping to have a clean weekend, tomorrow is absolutely key for us.”
Car 5, Neuville/Gilsoul
“I’ll hopefully bring back a good result for the team. It will be pretty tough. I feel I have good rhythm on this rally, so a podium finish will be nice. It’s a great atmosphere, we hope the rest of the rally goes like this."
Car 6, Sordo/Marti
“It was a nice stage. The rally is very long. Tomorrow is difficult stages. This one is for the spectators. But we’ll try to try to have a victory.”
Car 7, Meeke/Nagle
“I’ve had a test so I’ve been in the car before, but there was no problem.”
Car 8, Breen/Martin
“I’m quite happy. Lots of people, a great atmosphere. I hope to get to the end of the rally, that’s the most important thing. It’s going to be a long rally.”
Car 10, Latvala/Anttila
“I had a bit of moment because of understeer. I’ll be thinking about that. My back is better though, it should be fine for tomorrow.”
Car 12, Lappi/Ferm
“It’s the perfect place. Two years ago I debuted the R5 here. It was perfect. I was expecting something special and it is. I’ve been preparing for this for six months in my head. It’s going to be tough for sure. We know that as a rookie it’s not easy. We’ll have to build the speed up step by step. The second pass on the stages is going to be rough. It’s going to be a challenging weekend.”
Car 14, Ostberg/Floene
“It’s incredible. I think this new car must be louder, I couldn’t hear the crowd. The new tyre is good, it’s the first time I’ve used it on tarmac. We want to have a good weekend. For sure I will push.”
Car 21, Prokop/Tománek
“I was missing being in the championship. It’s nice to be back. I was missing everybody! I have no idea (ref D Mack being right for the event). I’m not the right person, you should ask Mads!”
Car 31, Mikkelsen/Synnevaag
“It was okay. It was a pretty good run, not perfect. I’m glad to start the rally. It’s a lot of people!”
Car 34, Suninen/Markkula
“It was okay. Small mistake in the first lap. I was driving against Mikkelsen, so if I can keep up with his pace that’s good. We’ll see if we can improve from this stage.”