67. Neste Rally Finland 2017
27. 7. – 30. 7. 2017, Jyväskylä • gravel 314.20 km • total distance including road sections - 1422.34 km • Other years
Info
SS25
"Pleased to finish on the podium. My first time here in an R5 car. I'm happy with that."
"Really really good weekend for us. A good result after a difficult season last year. I'm happy about this rally."
"Totally amazing. Someday I want to do the same as Esapekka."
"Amazing. What a rally. I have to say a bit thanks to team, they built such a fast car in a short time. Big respect to them. I have little experience, and I need to get more mileage. Okay, on my home soil I should have been strong here and I was."
"A small mistake on the start. We knew if would be difficult but okay, at the same time we have to be realistic - our first time on the podium!"
"It's been a tough weekend. Friday was far from ideal. Back then we never thought we'd be here, but we kept pushing. Third here is really positive. We needed a good result. Finally the conditions came into our hands."
"Difficult to say anything. The rally was really good, the pace was good - better than any of us expected - and I was in second. Then two mistakes and now we are fourth. Now I feel disappointed but tomorrow the feeling will be better. On my second rally in this car I was fighting for a podium."
"Last year was awesome here, I was on top of the world. Trying times. I have an amazing group of people around me, working their arses off. We just need more. A confidence sapping rally. We all worked so hard, but it all needs to come together."
"I knew there was some cleaning to do for Jari-Matti so definitely I tried a bit. Not perfect [enough] for five points but hopefully something good."
"Yeah, I'm not sure if it will be enough to catch him, let's see what the other guys do. We were aiming to bring back more points to Seb. Even if the pace wasn't there this weekend, I have a great team behind me who are working to improve it."
"I really struggled this weekend. You have to come here with bucket loads of confidence. That quickly unraveled for us. The next one is on tarmac and yeah, we have a bit of work to do."
"I'm looking forward to Germany now. This rally was complicated for us and the team. Now we forget it and try to work on the set up for Germany and to have a victory there."
"It's been a good experience, one of the best rallies I've done this year. I really enjoyed having Torstein next to me. Okay, some bad luck here, and it shouldn't have happened, but I'm glad to be on pace. Now I'm looking forward to the next rally."
"A lot of experience for sure. The aim is the get three cars to the finish."
"One or two places could have been better but otherwise it was the best I could do - maximum, maximum, maximum!"
"In a slow third-gear corner, the car just wouldn't turn. It sort of illustrates the problems we've had this weekend. In the future we'll probably look back on this year and laugh, everything that could go wrong is going wrong."
SS24
"I was struggling with a lot of oversteer. I haven't had that all rally. A lot of loose gravel here."
"We have to go, we have a problem."
"I tried. I spun. That's all."
"Okay I have to be happy with that."
"This was okay. Just smooth and tidy. No plans to take risks on the Power Stage. If we can get any points for the championship this week it's more important."
"Pretty much a drive through. Experimenting with the car as best we can. I wouldn't be confident to put for points on the Power Stage. I just need to get the car home."
"One of the most difficult weekends I've had in a rally car. I just want to get through to the finish."
"I got a bit more feeling here. A smooth run and I'm sure my tyres are okay."
"We are looking forward to Germany and a new weekend on tarmac."
"Quite slippery still. Maybe more grip now, for sure it will get much quicker for thee cars behind."
SS23
Stopped in stage at 6.3km
"Very slippery and my drive was not great. It's like that."
"Just driving these first two checking the notes."
"They told me to go for four stage wins today. A bit too sideways but I would say I'm 100 per cent."
"Sunday is always a long day when you are second. No risks. Just drive in the middle of the road. Two stages to go."
"I've rally enjoyed the rally this year. I like driving in these conditions and I'm really happy with the performance. It's not finished yet."
"We will see what happens."
"Out for a Sunday drive. We're trying to enjoy it and gather some information for next year."
"I have a fantastic feeling now in the car and the driving. Better than ever."
"It's okay. Quite slippery out there. Can't do anything stupid. It's going to be fine."
"What have I changed? It's a secret. I can't say because we are in a tight fight."
"I lost it quite soon after the start, went wide on a left hander and hit a hay bale."
"We're struggling as well. I went wide in two junctions. Exceptionally changeable grip and difficult to read."
"I got caught out in a braking, it was fine until the last 5 - 10 metres. Two more stages to go. It's been a long rally."
"No grip at all. I changed some settings before the stage. Three junctions in one stage!"
"The grip is pretty poor but it's the same in all the stages in the morning loop. It should be okay for the Power Stage."
"I've struggled for confidence all weekend. I just want to get through the day."
"Unbelievable, really, really slippery. Very surprised."
"I don't know if there is something wrong with the car, or there's ice in the forest, but wow that was slippery. I had absolutely no grip!"
"I'm driving around the problem"
SS22
WRC+ tracking shows him stopped in stage
"A clean run. Neat and tidy for this first pass."
"It was the engine ECU. Never a problem before and there was nothing more we could do. It came from a supplier, so it's not a team problem, we have to trust that the parts we buy are okay. We have learned something though. The most important thing is that the car is good and I feel good in the driving. That's important for the future. We're here to attack at the Power Stage."
"I'm going to give it my everything today."
"All good. I don't push. The last day. This was a good one for us."
"No issues. Nothing. Just trying to enjoy but it's difficult when you're not pushing flat out. You really need to be pushing to get the aero and everything working. Three to go..."
"That was a bad morning for us. I was struggling with the grip all the time. I don't know. Need to find something for the next stage."
"I was struggling to see - the wipers froze on the screen. Very distracting. Everything else was working okay. Can I do it? Let's see."
"It's okay. Very, very easy start for me. Difficult to drive at 90 per cent, 100 is much easier."
WRC+ Live tracking shows him stopped in stage at 3km
"It was okay but quite tricky and slippery in the forest. I lost the rhythm a bit there."
"The car is sliding but I did a normal stage. Quite enjoyable but difficult in the shade under the trees - it was difficult to read the road. Power Stage could be important."
"It looks like we can safeguard fifth."
"Very, very slippery. You need to take care of tyres and see what's possible on the Power Stage. No point to rush any more. The Finns are very strong here. Let's see what is possible."
"Okay. What can I say? I tried. The grip was okay."
"Very slippery."
"It was okay, a beautiful stage. A lovely way to start the day. Drivers who can place their cars on the correct part of the camber here will do well."
SS21
"The anti-roll bar is okay now but I took it a little too easy in the narrow section."
"I feel pretty good. Still disappointed for Jari-Matti but it wasn't my fault the car broke down so I need to enjoy this moment. It's something amazing. I need to concentrate and keep my head cool. In these cars, with the centre diff you have to drive it all the time - you can't back off. I need to keep a good speed all the time."
"Okay. One small jump in here where I went a bit wide. Not a big issue. I got away with it. Now I just need to continue like this."
"A relatively good stage for us. A couple of places where we could have been faster."
puncture
"Let's say you cannot get any closer to properly going off. I jumped too far on the entry to a corner. I jumped out of the road. I was completely sure that was it - and then it wasn't. I was very lucky."
"It's turned out exciting. Yesterday I never thought we'd be in this position. A podium is possible for sure. Let's wait and see."
"In the ruts the car is working better. What is possible now I don't know. In a rut here I hit something and bent the steering."
"Very difficult at the front in the second loop, there is a lot of loose gravel on the road."
"The second pass was a bit better. It's incredible to drive a rally car here but it's difficult when you are not fighting for something."
"In the first section the car went wide and hit some stones. A big impact. I lost the brakes too."
SS20
"Everything is going well. Not much to fight for and everything to lose. We're having fun."
"Maybe 3km into the stage we got a knock and the power was gone. We stopped and reset and then soon after we went off and got a puncture,"
"Some ruts and rocks so we had to be careful to avoid and protect our position."
"It was okay. A small mistake near the end but all okay."
"I have really mixed emotions," he says. "I have to say I've never been so disappointed when leading a rally, for Jari-Matti and the team, but it's part of the game. We still need to survive to the finish. It won't be easy to keep the rhythm without the pressure."
"A good stage. No moments, no mistakes. Basically a clean run. Second place is cool, but I must keep focused on the driving. It's a tight fight."
"Not so bad but the car is a small amount too low. The first time I've felt really confident with the grip."
"Yeah, we have a slight issue with the anti-roll bar at the front. The car feels nervous in the ruts. We go now and try and fix it."
"Nice stage. Quite rough conditions. I'm not so happy with the car, the balance is not right. Otherwise it was excellent in there."
"Pretty okay. A big shame for Jari-Matti. He was doing an incredible job. I feel for him. Now we have to keep going and do the best we can."
"The car is working when there is a lot of grip. I backed off a bit after I hit a stone in the narrow section. I thought we had a puncture."
"I didn't enjoy this at all. It didn't suit us. A lot of ruts."
"Quickest so far. A beautiful stage. A bit rough and more difficult for the tyres."
"Now the road is dry, the car is working really well."
"The first part was quite rutted and rough, I liked it. I'm half satisfied with my day."
SS19
"Managed to wind my co-driver over a jump in here but otherwise no problems."
"It's good. Not bad for a first pass. I'll take that."
"The power problem is sorted out. The team did an incredible job in service. With full power this stage is so fantastic!"
WRC+ tracking shows him stopped at 11km! Electrical problem
"Unfortunately yes, I saw the number on the rear window." So now you are the rally leader. "I did not want to be leading like this. It's a real shame. I mean this is not nice."
"I am so sorry for Jari-Matti. He had done such a good job here."
"I tried to be on the clean line and not slide too much. Let's see."
"My first proper run through and it wasn't the best. I didn't enjoy the stage, it's a shame. The jump was the only thing I could do."
"The grip was higher in places and I could have gone quicker."
"We made some changes but the road conditions are much more grippy now and the car is working better. In the slippery stages we can still lose time. I enjoyed this one, it's probably the best stage in the world."
"Not perfect but still an incredible piece of road."
"I had a half spin. After that maybe not the perfect rhythm but a decent run."
"This stage is unbelievable in these cars. A circuit in the forest. Incredible."
"There are places where I could go faster if I had more confidence in the reaction of the car."
SS18
"I was fast and the time is bad. I can't understand. I was fully on the limit and had no moments. That's why I am surprised the is so bad."
"A good start to the afternoon. An almost perfect stage. Just one corner I could do better."
"An okay stage. Still I could find a few tenths but it's difficult to go faster." Can you get third place back? "If I continue like this and try to avoid mistakes it should be fine."
"It's taken me a while to get my head around it but the grip level feels better now."
"Nothing special. Nice conditions. Really good."
"That was okay. The cars works well again. The brakes are fine."
"Not perfect. The car snapped round a couple of times."
"Much more grip on the stage so the car was working quite nicely, more driveable."
"This is only a short stage. We'll continue and see what happens."
"All okay. Very short stage. No issues. Clean run."
"We know the stage a bit more. Slippery in some places."
"You can see lines on the road for sure, but they're not from the WRC cars."
SS17
"Pleased with that. We are second and it is not necessary to push too hard."
"The engine problem is getting worse - no power. More than just the pop-off valve."
"There is something wrong with the car. It's crabbing and snaps around on left-hand corners. I've just been driving through the stages this morning. Let's see if we can get it sorted in service."
"Everything has gone well today. Nice and tidy and clean."
"I don't need to do anything, the car is good enough for the second loop. I really don't know how to fight with him [Latvala]. He's doing a really good job but the fight is not over for sure."
"I have front brakes only. Not so easy to drive. You do need brakes in Finland - even if it doesn't always look that way."
"Definitely a big step forward from yesterday. Not a lot on the car has changed, the conditions today have played into our hands."
SS16
double puncture
"Horrible. The car is crabbing for some reason. To drive this stage with a car that's trying to kill you is horrible."
"I don't really like this stage. Too many jumps."
"Really enjoyable but my time is not good enough. I know I lost some in the last junction, otherwise a pretty clean run. Not even close. I don't care if Jari-Matti has won this rally once or three times, I want to be faster. If I push more I will not stay on the road. I don't know where he is making the time."
"We had a very good run. There were a few places where I could improve but I pushed at the end. A fantastic feeling. You can't get this feeling anywhere else!"
"I missed a chicane, I needed to turn around. Lost maybe 20 seconds. Not a good run."
"So hard to commit to the notes."
"I went off the road, not so bad, but wide into a ditch. I crashed, destroyed the left rear suspension. Something is bent, the brake is broken. Not a good feeling to do the rest of the stage without the brakes."
"A tricky bastard that one! A couple of times a bit wide."
"Just incredible."
"I can't drive like this. I am driving fast but I am on the maximum. The car is hitting the bump stops, bouncing back after the jumps. It makes it really difficult. Our car is working on all other the rallies, which is nice, but not Finland."
"I know this stage very well but I couldn't drive the car here. It was like a rear-wheel-drive. Opposite lock to opposite lock."
"A fantastic stage but I'm maybe not 100 per cent confident. I tried to enjoy as much as possible."
SS15
accident
accident
mechanical problem
"I don't know, it was a clean stage for me but it seems I was not pushing enough. Jari-Matti was doing well, I can't fight with him now. This is quite a decent speed. I haven't had any moments. I don't know if it's wise to try and push."
"This stage was difficult - the mud in the beginning made grip very difficult, the end was better. I love the character of this stage!"
Enjoying the morning stages but unfortunately couldn’t avoid a rock the size of a football in middle of the road… broken suspension again
"It shouldn't have done that. I've completely lost the confidence at the rear."
"No issues. Just trying to find the perfect rhythm."
"Not so nice, the car is oversteering a lot. I can't get the grip at the rear, power sliding on the throttle everywhere. I was annoyed."
"I struggled on the small road but the pace on the good road went well. I've always liked this stage."
"I was not driving very well in here. The car is moving around, hitting the bump stops on landings. I need to stiffen the set-up"
"We still have a little issue with the steering."
"The previous stage had good grip, but this one was slippery. It's changing. The wipers were okay here."
"It was fun, and the feeling is a little bit better. The car is not bad but the driver is not fast enough this weekend. A difficult weekend for us."
SS14
engine problem
"It's okay, Jari-Matti had a really good stage. I was too cautious in the beginning, in the other half I was better. The plan is to try and find the same rhythm as yesterday but I will not force myself to fight with Jari-Matti - it will not end well."
"I need to do what I can. For sure I am here to fight. Esapekka and Teemu are going well and nothing comes for free. Miikka said I was a little too aggressive at the start. I used the whole road."
"Stage was really nice I enjoyed the drive but I lost a few seconds. I could push a bit more."
"I had an overshoot there. Other than that I drove very well. The car feels good."
"Quite nice. The grip was better than I expected. A really, really nice stage."
"The road positions is helping but we worked on the set-up, and tried everything, but we will be not competitive this weekend."
"We left service and there is still something not right about the steering. We'll just have to drive around it."
"Since the first corner the wipers stuck in the middle of the screen. I was fIghting all the way through with the wipers and had no rhythm. We've had this situations for such a long time but nobody seems to care about it."
"The last kilometres are really, really fast and I lost time like yesterday - it's the same."
SS12
"Not so good, a few mistakes. I was sliding a lot. I was not on the limits but I lost the rear a few times."
"I pushed stupidly hard to get a decent time and it was okay. I've done all I can and I think it is just a faulty rear diff. At least now it feels okay. We are doing our best."
"Before the rally I couldn't imagine leading today. It's really something special. It's difficult to understand but we tried to do our best and at the moment it's enough to keep the lead. I hope to continue tomorrow."
"We are quite lucky to be here. I took it easy on the jumps because if the top of the damper cracked then we would have a big problem. It's nice to be here. We knew we would lose some time but it's better to be here."
"Not so nice with the damaged steering. I just don't feel confident with wheel at the wrong angle in my hands."
"We got a couple of changes under the car and it was okay - in the ball park - but every tenth you give away is hard to get back. Overall it hasn't been so bad."
"Not too bad. Not a complete disaster but work to do tomorrow."
"No problems today just not fast enough. Is it me or the car? I don't know."
"Esapekka has been absolutely fantastic today, I take my hat off to him. Tomorrow gets more challenging with the stages, we will be closer together with the start position. That's where we will know where we are - that is the reality. After this stage I know what I can do..."
"We are pushing hard but the times are not what we want. There's not much we can do but continue. All is positive in terms of the championship. Tomorrow is a huge day. We might try some new damper settings tomorrow but there's not much to do. Top five would be a good result here."
SS11
"I don't know what it is. Sometimes it is noisy and there, sometimes it is okay. Suddenly the rear is snapping and I cannot control it. I lost it in a chicane and we hit the concrete. Not nice. I cannot control the car."
"It's going well but this rally is difficult and it is easy to make a mistake as we have seen with many drivers today."
"I was on the limit! Close to the trees in places. You can't go quicker in here."
"I touched a big stone and the steering is bent. The steering wheel is at an odd angle now. That's our loop over, we will just nurse the car through."
"We're not sure how long the repair will last but maybe we should keep it like this tomorrow?"
"The launch control didn't work properly for the first 700 metres. Maybe I mixed up the procedure."
"I just drive but it's impossible. Okay, not impossible but very difficult."
"I'm doing my job. The conditions are more consistent, so I can push a bit more."
"It's difficult to make difference on this stage but this wasn't a good stage for me. I made some mistakes and the grip wasn't what I expected."
"The rhythm is good but I can't keep the rear in the line. Our car is just not performing enough. We are still far away. I'm doing my job."
SS10
"No brakes. There's nothing at all."
gone off
"Same problem that we had in Sardinia and Argentina. The universal joint on the track control arm is coming loose and the wheel is falling off. Not a good feeling in the stage, let me tell you. I try to survive and see what we can do." *
"Wow! The feeling is quite nice but I gave everything I could. I tried everything. I was pushing so much - and to be only 1.4ses quicker - it shows the quality of the competition!"
"I hit a rock about 6km before the finish. I need to go and have a look."
"Couldn't find the grip in here, lost the brakes too halfway through."
"Not enjoying it. My head is not in the race."
SS9
"The same problem like every time with me - my pace notes - the corner tightened and we went wide and hit something. Just like it did on the Autoglym Rally."
"Pretty happy. No big issues, just braking too early in a few junctions. But still the time is okay."
"Not much, but it's something. As a first pass it was a pretty good run - lots of places to improve tough. My driving so far is the best I have ever done."
"I can't trust the grip and when you start to hesitate it quickly unravels. What can I do? I don't know. What I can't do is put it in the trees."
"I made a mistake near the start. Late on the brakes and missed a junction."
"I struggled in here, probably the worst stage of the rally so far. My pace notes were not the best, in this rally you have to be absolutely correct all the time. The next stages are more familiar to me."
"I was struggling for the grip in here. Very wet and slippery in some places. Drier in others. Hard to get the confidence."
"Not taking any risks, but it's not too easy to take it steady. There's no longer the motivation of pushing for a win but I'm still trying to do my job."
"Slippery now, but not too dramatic. I have to be very focused all the time. I know I need to fight with Esapekka, but I'm in a difficult [road] position here. I know the grip will improve for him."
"I tried to drive fast without taking too many risks but the time doesn't look good."
SS8
"That's good because it was difficult in the rain. Three Finns in the top-three is good but there's a long way to go."
"It's very close for sure. A big fight and not easy to take a lot of time."
"I was expecting to lose some time here - the road is getting muddier and more slippery with each car."
"I struggled in here a lot. Just couldn't feel the grip, and when you start hesitating it gets worse. That's down to me, but once you do that it's over."
"Pretty good, yeah. A positive change from the morning. We made some changes in service. Maybe they would have helped us in the morning too."
"I didn't take full advantage of the grip I had. Too careful in places. Not so bad."
"The rain hasn't added to the [understeer] problem. It's difficult to judge but it could be a bit better. With such inconsistent grip the road is difficult to read."
"The car is good but like this morning we are losing time all the time."
"Not too bad. A little bit of rain but it's exciting."
"No grip, the road surface is so hard, I really struggled. Sliding a lot."
SS7
"A lot of rain at the beginning and at the end. In places it was difficult to see, only 100 or 150 metres in sixth gear is not good."
"That's good. A good stage for me but tricky with the rain, it was really heavy for the first kilometre. I felt I had a good rhythm."
"I can't place the car like I want to. I just can't do the right thing. Okay, we have to get back to service and see what we can do."
"I would say an okay morning, pretty happy with the car. Now we need to concentrate and do the same in the afternoon. This rain could make it interesting."
"Okay. I have some things to think about when I get back to service. A good loop, but I struggled with the car more as the loop progressed. It's good to be in the fight for the podium and not to have made any mistakes."
"Understeer is really hampering my confidence and you need that here. Hopefully we can improve things in service."
"Very fast but when you don't have a good feeling you lose a lot. Okay, I'm still here but I'm not fast enough."
"A great start and the fight is tight. Esapekka is pushing hard. Here was better than the previous stage where I didn't have a great rhythm."
"A tricky stage. First time through I was pretty slow, so a bit unknown. All I can do now is carry on and see what happens."
"Good. I tried to push hard but obviously there was lots of gravel on the road now and the rear was sliding wide. We used every inch of the road. Our main contender [Ogier] now is out. We have to be in the top five this weekend. That's our goal."
SS5
"A few cuts in here, but you have to do that to be fast. At the moment I can be happy, although I'm still disappointed about last night's city stage."
"It was quite okay but I made two mistakes. Still, the time is okay. There's a long way still to do. I must beat myself up to stay concentrated."
"Just when you want to give a bit of energy, it [the car] doesn't give it back. This stage had a different nature. I'm still trying to figure things out."
"I didn't have a good feeling in there. There is something strange with the front of the car."
"The grip is much better than the first pass earlier today."
"We had one wiper stuck in the middle of the windscreen. I struggled and got distracted in a junction."
"It was okay. The stage was in good condition, it's held up well and I was pleased to see that. The car feels good. Everything is good for the moment. Hey, a long way to go."
"It's okay but I'm not so happy with the car. I'm moving too much up and down, it's not so nice. We try to improve. The earlier noise is okay now - just the sump guard touching."
SS4
Damaged suspension after a heavy landing towards the end of SS4. He'll go no further today but we aim for Rally 2
"A bit careful because many drivers had problems and broke their cars here. I drove carefully."
"It was okay. I struggled to find the rhythm. Not happy with my driving on the wide road."
"It felt really uncomfortable with the car in there - on the wide wide especially. I can't get the feeling I had last year."
"We had a big landing over a jump and something - I don't know what - is wrong with the front. I hope to God it's not the suspension."
"Not massively confident. The grip level is changing a lot. It's difficult to commit with so much understeer."
"It happened in the first corner - a a bit wide. We lost the drive shaft and then a puncture."
rear right damage
lost wheel
rear-right puncture
SS3
retired on failed alternator belt that occured on liason to SS3
"I don't like this car at the moment - oversteering."
"All fine but my pace notes are way too slow. Far too cautious. Once we take the slower bits out of the notes we'll be fine."
"Not a good morning. Not a good feeling with the set-up. Too stiff I think. We'll take a look in service."
"I don't have the confidence to push."
"I'm having fun with this extremely quick car on these roads. I hope I can learn a lot more this week."
"It's a beautiful stage. I've missed it. Nice that it's back. I was too careful over the jump. Apologies to all the spectators."
"Not too cautious this time. We pushed more and it feels comfortable. No mistakes and still lot of places to improve."
"I last drove this stage seven or eight years ago so I have very little knowledge of it. You really need to get your speed right. I knew halfway through I didn't have the confidence."
"We lost a bit of time in here, too careful at the start. We need to focus on the next stage"
"Mediocre. In some places I'm too hesitant."
"Quite a big moment in there, after a jump we used to take flat-out. We had a big jump and at the next corner we almost went off into the trees. That put me off for the rest of the stage. A good way to wake up!"
"Struggling quite a lot with understeer."
"Difficult to judge the speed in there."
"No problems for me, the engine is running fine. Not very happy with the pace notes but that's okay, we can change them."
"The grip was better here. Some sections with good grip and others that are very slippery."
"I have the same feeling, not feeling much power. The ground is much more loose, taking power away. A better stage [than before] but I don't need to fight for the win here, It's the right pace for now."
"Not so good, we have some engine problem, the throttle is not responding. Losing some time."
SS2
"That's good but still the race is really tight. I need to improve my driving. I think I can improve."
"Quite okay. Yeah, a tricky first stage. Difficult to judge the grip. I'm pleased with where I am."
"I was on the safe side all the time. The guys ahead are cutting like hell. I know it now for the next one."
"Yeah, by just a few tenths. On this rally it will be tenths separating everyone. It's going to be a long day - we'll have to be on it. No road cleaning, humid all the way through. Normal."
"It's okay, but tricky and slippery. I'm just finding the rhythm."
"On this rally you just have to be so committed. Lift off the throttle at all and you pay for it. Okay, [the time is] in the ball park but the level is so high here."
"A good way to wake up. Nice and fast. A bit of humidity on the road made it a bit slippery. I enjoyed it. No risks, just trying to keep it nice and smooth."
"Definitely a wake up call. A great stage, a bit slippery in places but otherwise okay."
"I enjoyed it but I'm not fast enough. I lost a lot of time. Okay, it's only the first stage."
"A nice stage but surprisingly slippery - especially the beginning where there was quite a lot of loose. Not so bad."
"Okay but surprisingly slippery. I was expecting better grip."
"I don't know. Maybe I was not committed enough. We have to go faster. We can go faster."
"Okay. The early morning conditions are okay. A little damp, and that's good."
SS1
"Here in Finland it's all about pushing. The pressure in normal. I've been on holiday, I feel completely relaxed and I come here with a full battery and ready to push."
"It's going to be a difficult event. The main thing is to enjoy it, stay in a close battle with Seb and finish ahead of him at the end."
"A fantastic feeling to start the rally. This stage is nice but difficult. It wasn't great on the first corner but otherwise I'm happy with how the car felt. Now we can start the rally properly."
"This is the kind of event where you can smile! I have a good respect for these roads but when you have a good feeling it can be very enjoyable."
"It was okay. I will try and do my best this weekend."
"Okay, not the best preparations, but we have to forget that now and get on with driving the car."
"We've got to keep calm and keep our expectations in check. This weekend we're going to run our own rally, keep it natural and see where that gets us."
"It feels awesome to be here again. I remember last year saying it was like driving a PlayStation. Well, now I feel I have my PlayStation back again. The guys have worked wonders with the car. I can't wait until tomorrow! "
Does he have much of a local advantage this weekend? "Not such a big advantage, no, but for sure we will try."
"This is a difficult street stage where you don't want to make a mistake. For sure others will be faster, but it's more important not to lose time here."
"The tyres were moving around a lot in there. I couldn't hold the line in the chicane."
"I'm really looking forward to starting the stages tomorrow, but also Shakedown and even in here were fun. I'm really wound up! It's really enjoyable and I'm please to be able to experience it with a good friend and an excellent co-driver."
"Always a special atmosphere here. It's unique. I'm happy to be here."
"A clean run but nothing else. Careful in many braking places but hopefully we didn't lose more than two or three seconds."
"Only my third WRC rally but the feeling is awesome!"
"I'm hoping for a clean rally and we'll see what happens."