51. Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2017
18. 5. – 21. 5. 2017, Matosinhos • Automóvel Club de Portugal • gravel 349.17 km • total distance including road sections - 1529.01 km • Other years
Info
SS19
"Right-hand corner, second gear, hit a rock and we were flipped around... My mistake totally!"
"We didn't expect this. It's not beautiful to get it this way but this is rally and we have to be happy with the result."
"That's good but I am disappointed I didn't win because I had the chance. Okay, a good rally but many small mistakes and things I can improve about my driving. My first gravel rally in this car has been good."
"I saw Andreas, he was stopped near the start. I feel sorry for him. To stop on the last stage like this, he showed incredible speed. Okay, if we win this rally it's a fantastic start to my season."
rolled
"It feels great for sure. It's fantastic to be back on the top of the podium again. Thanks to the team - the new car was perfect. Amazing. A new car in Monte and we won - a new car here too!"
"I'm really happy. Okay, it was disappointing not to be right in the fight on Saturday, but I'm happy to keep third place."
"Not perfect in the beginning but good clean after that. Some points would be nice here."
"Really happy with fifth place again. We were one of the fastest on Friday and we can take positives from that. It hasn't been a terrible weekend."
"It wasn't the plan. I thought I'd braked enough - but the jump it threw us off line to the left."
"It was easier rally than Argentina finally. Okay, we learned a lot and it's nice to have a clean run. My first time on these stages and we can improve."
42m jump "That felt a bit long.."
"I've had to fight with myself this week. Now it's done and we score some points."
"Okay, a shame about yesterday, but it happens at this level - we are learning."
"I hope for better on the next rally in Sardinia."
"Quite a moment for sure. I wanted to carry a bit more speed. It was close!"
"The jump seems a bit different this year - something has changed on the take-off - you really have to take care!"
"The road is cleaning a lot - more than I thought. Seb's done a great job on his first event in the co-driver's seat."
SS17
"We spun two or three kilometres before the finish. Otherwise it could have been a decent time."
"I spun in here on a slow corner, lost maybe five seconds."
"I think so, but this is rally - you have to reach the finish. I'm happy with how things are going so far today."
"Good. I tried to be careful with the tyres. This is a technical stage, quite slow."
"The first stage I was a little bit relaxed - I though Tanak would save his tyres for the Power Stage."
"Not so good. I thought I was taking it easy. Far too fast. We have a different objective today."
"Very low grip. A new and really tricky stage. We just got through."
"It was okay. I tried a change with the centre diff and it's made an improvement."
"The feeling is generally good. I can push now. I had a half spin here, so I lost a few seconds but okay, no worries."
SS16
"Happy with my stage. A fast recce. The jump was a bit high - I don't know why."
"Nobody has been able to chase Ogier down with a 16 sec lead on the final day! We have to be clever. A good clean run and just check my notes for the Power Stage."
"I will try to keep the third position but I slide a lot."
"I had quite a clean stage. It was surprisingly slippery. The landing was quite hard - I wasn't expecting that."
"My first time in here so not much I can do. I struggled with the car in there to be honest. I didn't have a very good feeling. Tough."
"It's okay. The grip level wasn't massive."
"It was okay, We tried something with the car just to see. Something for the future."
"I thought we had found a good set-up last night but today I feel a bit lost."
"We had a little touch on the wheel on the Tarmac section. I'm feeling much better today."
"It was okay. I'm just trying to find the feeling again. Slippery, so I guess the grip will change a lot for the Power Stage."
"Clean driving, The set-up is better but not perfect."
"We enjoyed the drifting a lot. I wish every Sunday morning was like this!"
"A different set-up compared to yesterday and a new diff map. I was off the road many times at near the start. I am going to change it back."
SS15
"I had a great rhythm before the puncture. Okay, now we need to stay on it tomorrow because with that gap for sure he won't give up!"
"There was a big rock stuck on my front right wheel, need to stop to remove it because it was too dangerous"
"I got a front-right puncture - hit a big, big stone on the line. Nothing I could do. Okay, we have to forget about that now and carry on."
"We had a puncture on the front-right. I touched a stone in the braking zone. Then I rejoined right behind Mikkelsen and was stuck in his dust."
"Not so good on these stages as I was last year."
"I don't know what happened. I promise you I didn't hit anything. We are lucky to arrive here at the stage end."
"Not bad, I am happy with that on this one. I didn't push hard because it was a bit rough at the end. Thierry has a good run. I managed my tyres a bit too much - too cautious maybe. Now we have to finish the job tomorrow."
"An okay stage for me, with hards at the front and softs at the rear. The road was very abrasive near the end. We have to see how Seb did with his tyres but I think he managed better than us."
"A mistake with my tyres choice. The tyres are the rear are completely dead. I spun on the apshalt. A difficult way to end the day."
"On a tight corner on the Tarmac I got caught out on loose gravel and hit a wall. That's it."
"Not particularly happy after the mistake on the morning loop. This afternoon things haven't worked quite as we liked. Overall a tough day."
"I don't know what the problem is with Esapekka. We saw some dust ahead and big thanks to the team - and Esapekka - for helping us pass."
rear damage
stopped
"A challenging afternoon. We had to mix the tyres a lot and I didn't feel confident. I struggled with the balance."
"I have been feeling better and better but not 100 per cent. The big positive this is that we have improved the car for the second passes. The guys have done really good work on the suspension."
SS14
"A new stage for us today so for this second pass I gave it a bigger push. At the same time this stage is a tyre killer and I tried to save mine."
"Yesterday's set-up was better."
"Can I catch Breen? I don't know. The points are important so we will keep going."
"Sebastien in this stage is really fast. We have good tyres for the final stage - let's see what we can do."
"It's a good time. I pushed more here. Now it's all about the long stage. If the gap stays like this, or even if I lose some on the long stage, it's perfect. For now we keep going with the same job."
"It was okay, I have three softs and one hard here. In some sections you gain and in others you lose."
"Something strange at the front - a puncture perhaps? It felt very strange for the last 5km. I need to go and have a look..."
"Not so good. I struggled with the balance of the car. We're on a different package this afternoon and I don't have confidence."
"We had some issue on stage, like fuel pressure. I was able to fix it but the engine cut again before the finish. We need to go and have a look."
"I struggled again in this one. I cannot say why but I don't have any rhythm."
"A good feeling with the car, but I wouldn't want anyone to have the same feeling that I have inside."
Front-left puncture. "It happened on a long corner with a lot of load on the tyre. Maybe it was a stone. Luckily we managed to get to the end without stopping."
"At the finish the car started to move a bit but I am happy with my set-up. So far the tyre choice seems correct."
SS13
"A difficult day. The excitement has gone out of it but there's still learning to do."
"Not so much frustration. That's rally. That's how it goes sometimes."
"I try like hell. I enjoy a lot. The last stage of the day will be the most important."
"Of course it's possible to manage the gap but it's never easy. We have to do this loop well. I tried not to be hard on my tyres, it will be a hard loop for them."
"A bit more grippy so the car is working better. It was okay and I tried to do a good stage. For sure not enough to beat Mr Ogier here. Can I win this rally? It will be difficult..."
"Okay, but the car is too soft at the rear - it's moving so much I felt I had a puncture. I think we have a good tyre choice for these stages."
"We had a stop in stage and there is a really bad electrical burning smell. We have to go and investigate."
"Nothing special. The tyres are not giving me confidence."
"More or less clean from me. The balance of the car was not ideal because of the tyres (he has two spares). It was okay, no big mistakes. The road is in much better condition that we expected."
"We are trying some new settings and the car works brilliantly. It's my first time with the hard DMACK tyre - it was enjoyable."
"I managed to get some rest and have a drink - I still can't eat much. At the start of the stage, over the jumps, I felt a bit horrible. The rest was okay."
"We didn't raise the car too much and that's the right decision. I enjoyed it."
"I have four soft and two hard tyres. I hope with my tyre choice I can do the loop with no problem."
"I thought it would be rutted and bad so we raised the car, but in fact it's quite smooth. Let's see how the other stages are."
stopped - power steering problem
SS12
"That's not good news for Ott. He was doing so well, I hope he can carry on without losing so much. It's important for the championship."
"A good stage. I managed to find a good rhythm."
"Not so good. The grip was not as good as I thought it would be. Too cautious in places."
"It's good to know. With a big lead like this my head is telling me to be careful around the rocks. My main aim is to win - not to win stages."
"Really not a nice feeling in here."
"I touched a bank on the outside under braking 20km before the end - immediately something broke."
"Not bad. I tried to do my best. I pushed hard but it's difficult - Ogier is flying."
"I tried to be be cleaner in here - more efficient driving."
"Reasonably happy but difficult when you're discovering a road for the first time."
broken damper
"My first time on this stage and it was quite slippery - more than I thought. A challenge to keep a good rhythm."
'It was a clean stage - so finally I had one! The time is not so bad because I didn't do this stage last year."
"Struggling a bit with the balance of the car. I concentrated on my driving and I felt I did a good stage."
"I took some painkillers and they helped. I managed to eat something too - I couldn't keep anything down last night. The medicine is working and I feel 50 per cent better than this morning."
SS11
"I'm not happy. Stuck in Loubet's dust and another puncture at the front too."
hit a cow
"I tried a bit harder in here but it was slippery. The others are going very quickly now so we need to push on - it's the time to do this now."
"An okay stage, no big mistakes. We can improve a bit on the next loop. I will try to drive even faster.'
"Everything is going to plan. A bit careful in here, but it's a new stage and it would be easy to do a mistake. I was too much on the safe side, but we have a big gap so no stress."
"What else can we do? Seb was pushing on the one before. I decided to have a clean good run. Nearly perfect. The tyres feel good for the loop. If we want to be in the front there is really no other option than keep this up."
"Difficult. I tried but it's more slippery than yesterday. I'm doing all I can. Sebastien is flying today..."
"Good. Happy. A different rally for me today."
"Better grip here but in the last downhill section I felt I was too slow."
puncture "It happened in the middle of the stage. I had a moment on a right-hander where I had to avoid a rock on the line. I missed the next corner and went off. I'm lucky to be here."
"No issues. A nice stage. Really important to keep it in the line."
"I stalled the car in a tight corner and could not restart. I had to undo my belts. It took time to get it running, and then do my belts up again. My mistake. It's learning."
"It was okay, a new stage with varying grip so quite challenging. We are trying something new with the front diff and it's not working so well - we will go in the opposite direction after service."
"The car is going quite well, it's just that I have had fever and last night I couldn't sleep. The feeling in the body is pretty tired."
"I need to make adjustments to the dampers before the next stage."
"Enjoying it a lot. This one was more slippery than the one before. No pressure for me, so we're trying some things on the car and they feel good."
SS10
"Seb's doing very well, but I didn't do this stage last year and in one or two places I wasn't fully committed. Let's see. Everyting is possible. We will do out best."
"I tried to do my best but they are much faster today. I don't know why. At the end I thought I had a puncture at the rear. I tried."
"It's always good to start a day like this. A clean drive, I'm happy with the car, let's hope we can continue like this. Compared to yesterday, it's a different world in this road position."
"I'm missing traction on this stage. The road was very polished and I was missing grip. The next stages will be rougher - I'm running stiffer springs to protect the car."
"Unfortunately this stage is just the same as last year - it's hard to fight against knowledge. The next stage is new for everybody so let's see what we can do."
"A good run overall. A little bit too much sliding in places, but on the whole not too bad."
"He is doing really really well. This is a really nice stage - a few places too wide but otherwise quite okay."
"For sure I want to try and catch him. I don't know if it's possible but I will try."
"It has started okay. We are testing some different set-ups for future events."
"I feel very weak. I have been fighting a fever since shakedown. I haven't been sleeping. The feeling is very weak. I try to keep going, stage by stage."
"Completely different stages to yesterday, no rocks. Very nice to drive. I'm enjoying."
"I have no traction, wheel-spin all the time, it is difficult to push like this."
"Just steady. An easy rhythm."
"The car is working really, really nicely. Apart from the gravel on the road it's a pleasure to drive. Big credit to the team - they changed the whole wiring loom in under two hours."
SS7
"At least we are here! I found it hard to find any rhythm. I tried to avoid all the big rocks. Still a long way to go. We keep going like this."
"The car just stopped again and we couldn't start it. We did everything we could, checked every wire. Then it started. An intermittent electrical problem. That's our rally ruined now and I'll be sweeping the road tomorrow. We have to stay positive and try to make the most of the opportunity to test. I can't buy any good luck at the moment."
"We noticed a problem with the diff this afternoon. I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
"It was okay. Not really enjoyable for me now. A clean stage but not fun."
"It's okay but rough and difficult on the tyres near the end. I'm happy to have this kind of afternoon after my morning."
"I broke a damper three or four kilometres into the stage. We only lost a few seconds, which is a surprise because the damper is completely broken. A shame, it looks like we had a good package."
"I struggled in here with the rhythm. Could have been better."
broken suspension
mechanical problem
"At the beginning of the stage, in the second braking, the car didn't stop. I don't know why - it felt strange. We hit a bank, onto two wheels and we rolled. We damaged the exhaust and had to use road mode."
"We had some damage on the car on the previous stage and it make the car really difficult drive. At least we're through."
"I was stuck behind him for more than 5km and almost went off three times. He was driving more slowly then my grandmother. I do not understand why he carried on. We have to see with the stewards now."
"I'm happy with my day. I didn't do any mistakes and I tried as hard as I could. This one was difficult. Okay, it will be a different story tomorrow. Let's see how many cars we have in front of us then."
SS6
puncture
"Really bad. I got a hole in the intercooler on the previous stage. I tried to fix it but I'm losing power. Missing some boost."
Another puncture. "I touched nothing. I don't know what happened."
"We got through it. I've lost the power in myself, to be honest. It's so disappointing. It's no fun to compete here unless you are fighting. I love to compete - not be where I am."
"I got a slow puncture at the end of the last stage so I had to play a game here. The next stage is cruel on the tyres so I took it easy here to protect them."
"Not too bad. I struggled here with a compromise of tyres but I hope it puts us in good shape for the next stage."
"I had to put the two hards at the front and it took a long time for them to come on. Not very good. We seem to be struggling a bit with tyre wear."
"All pretty good but we don't know how our tyres will be for the next one."
"Not a good stage. I should have taken four softs and two hards."
"I have softs at the rear and it was moving quite a lot. I try to do my best. Was it the right choice? Let's see after the next stage."
"Okay. A little bit more understeer than this morning, otherwise okay. Some places I try to be careful with the tyres not to overload them."
"We pushed as much as we can but it's difficult. Not so easy. The tyre choice was okay, but being first on the road is maybe worse than this morning."
SS5
"We had a puncture. A slow one. I thought we could go to the end but we couldn't. After 1km we were on the rim. We had to stop and change it. The rim was broken so it took a long time."
"A remarkable job by the team to fix the car. We have some understeer in some corners, so some changes to make now."
"I have two spare tyres to bring into play. Let's see how it plays out."
"It's going to be difficult but I think we've made a good choice this afternoon."
"We're trying the softs here but the stage is so rough and we were very aggressive on them. In some places they worked well, in others not so well. I'm pretty sure the splits will look strange."
"I have four soft tyres here had to be a little bit careful. We made some set-up changes and the car feels better."
"I went wide a couple of times near the start. After that all okay."
"It worked well but the stability is very bad and in the rough sections you can get a surprise. I think my [mixed] choice is good for the loop."
"This stage is the hardest of the loop for the tyres, the mid section is very abrasive. I tried to take it easy not to overload them. It was okay, I have a good feeling with the tyres."
"Not so bad, the car was moving a lot though, I think it was the soft tyres and nothing else."
SS4
"It is already very, very rough and we are not really set-up for these conditions. We need to make the car higher for the afternoon."
Okay, the guys are pushing very hard but it's a good start for me. This is a long rally."
"Okay, the guys are pushing very hard but it's a good start for me. This is a long rally."
"A nice stage. I've changed something about my driving and the car sits well in the corners. I'm enjoying a lot."
"A bit disappointed. I tried to keep in the clean line, but I'm spending too much time in the loose."
"Happy. A good run. People talk about road cleaning here but there is none. I'm struggling in the ruts. It's tricky to drive this far back in the start order."
"I struggled with the car in here. The road has a very different character to the others. It's okay. We have a different set-up for the afternoon and it should be better."
"I enjoy every stage - when I push the pedals the car does exactly what I want. I must sound like a broken record!"
Rght-rear puncture. "I didn't notice anything, just an alarm on the dash and shortly after we knew about it."
"Some problem with the car. All the time it is sliding a lot at the rear. I try to do my best but I can't keep the speed in the corners. It is not normal."
"Happier than before, a small change to the car has improved the balance."
"Difficult to find the right rhythm here."
"This wasn't the best for me on the recce. Not the easiest. I had to make a lot of changes to my notes so I can see where I am losing time."
"Still happy with my loop. I did the best I could. No mistakes, I couldn't have pushed any more. We have to fight."
SS3
"It's so rough, I was really careful in this one. Not exactly flat out but a good enough pace to be fast. That's okay."
"Andreas is taking time out of me in many places, but we think of the championship and carry on like this."
"Grip je překvapivě větší, než jsme čekali, můžeme zrychlovat."
"On a fast section I lost the rear and touched a bank. We make one roll. I have two punctures and only one spare."
"Lefebvre had a massive one. I nearly went off in the same place."
"Not bad. The car felt good in here. There are deep ruts already - you have to commit to your line."
"The car stopped 2km before the finished. We lost all power, had to stop, reset, and start again. Hey, we're not going to get frustrated by it."
"Not perfect, we haven't got massive grip. Sliding around in there. Sometimes oversteer - sometimes understeer."
"It was good. I tried to push harder. Difficult to maintain this speed but I will try."
"Struggling to get the car to turn in."
"I think on the previous stage I wasn't driving hard enough. To carry the speed here you need to drive sideways - not what I like."
"Yesterday night I wasn't sure if I would drive today. Luckily we have a good team and my recovery started overnight. I'm not 100 per cent - about 97."
"Very slippery for us in here. I'm going to struggle. I couldn't push as hard as I could on the stage before."
SS2
"The road was good near the start but it got more slippery and softer towards the end. I think my time is surprisingly good. I was expecting to lose more."
"I thought I felt a puncture. I must check the tyres before the next one."
"Okay. We drove the stage clean. The last part is quite soft - I was hesitating in some places."
"Happy. A good start. Nice rhythm. The car seems to be working well. Happy cars mean happy drivers."
"I'm really focused on driving clean and tidy. Not a lot of grip. The road is okay in the open wide sections but I was too tentative in the narrow parts where it's getting soft and sandy."
"The car is an absolute pleasure. I have never driven anything so awesome in my life. It does exactly what I want. Feeling really good."
"The grip was really low, not easy. We're still in the ballpark but it was a tricky start. There was a lot of moisture in there - perhaps that's why it didn't suit me."
"I tried to do my best without mistakes. There are some wet places in there. We will try to do better on the next pass."
"Some parts in the forest are getting pretty soft now, not so easy. Generally I have a good feeling with the car. I try and improve now."
"I don't know. I had a feeling that I did a good stage time but no. If I lost time at the end I don't know why."
"Generally quite good but the first corner was a surprise - there was lots of very fine gravel and it was very slippery. After that the grip improved and it got better."
"I'm happy with my stage. Whatever the time I know I cannot go faster than that."
SS1
lost wheel
"Everyone in the team is pushing to give me the best chance here, and of course I will try my best, but the truth is we'll probably lose some time on the first day with our road position. We'll see what we can do."
"The atmosphere is electric! I'm quite happy. Glad to be back."
"Tomorrow we have some difficult stages but this was really nice for the spectators - good fun."
"A difficult start, a lot less grip that I expected."
"It was a close one. I saw after one lap it was close, so I pushed more on the second. A few small mistakes but I'm happy with the time!"
"This is the perfect place to make my WRC debut, two years ago I have my R5 debut here. I wasn't nervous - just normally excited. I have been preparing for this for six months, so I am ready."
"It's nice to be back in the WRC - I was missing it."