Present:
1st - Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Motorsport
1st - Miikka Anttila, Volkswagen Motorsport
2nd – Elfyn Evans, M-Sport WRT
2nd – Daniel Barritt, M-Sport WRT
3rd - Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Motorsport II
3rd - Ola Floene, Volkswagen Motorsport II
Jost Capito, Team Principal, Volkswagen Motorsport

Q:
Jari-Matti, what does it mean to you to win such an iconic event?
J-ML:
Incroyable! Inimaginable! (in French). I prepared those words for Australia, just in case. French is a difficult language but I try to learn it. It’s really great to win.

Q:
You said in Australia that your target was now to win the three remaining events. This one must be special…
J-ML:
I won already in Alsace last year and this one just confirms that we are able to do it again. It was not easy to come to this event after the crash we had during the test. It was not the best preparation so I had a lot of things in my head…how do I have to approach this rally? How do I take the speed? In the end I decided for a plan with careful driving. We were not necessarily the fastest but we had control of the driving all the time.

Q:
Was it easy to build confidence over the weekend?
J-ML:
Yes it was, even if I lost quite a bit of time in stage three. Conditions were very demanding in that stage. I realised it was not so bad, but we have to improve a bit and step by step I started to get more confident and increase the speed: just step by step. Stage five was the real turning point. We attacked a bit more and started to close the gap.

Q:
It was unusual for you to fight against Elfyn Evans, wasn’t it?
J-ML:
He did a really, really great performance. Already in the rally, he did a quick time in stage three. I realised that it would become a close fight. Then again, he was very close in stage six. I knew this morning that I had to show my best performance. But of course I couldn’t take too many risks. Even this morning, conditions were quite tricky with some sections of humidity, cuts, mud… We had a good approach and I had a good feeling with today’s stages.

Q:
Very few Finns have won this rally. Does that make this win more special?
J-ML:
Yes, it’s fantastic. It’s 31 years since Markku Alen and Ilkka Kivimäki managed to win this event. It’s very special because Finns are not normally the strongest drivers on Tarmac but it’s not impossible. We can prove that Finns can be good on Tarmac. Today, the top three includes a British driver and a Norwegian driver as well. We are all drivers coming from new “Tarmac” countries!

Q:
Objective one is done. So next is winning in Spain and GB?
J-ML:
I realised that, after I said it, now it’s time to try to do it! It will not be easy but at least we have a chance.

Q:
Miikka, an incredible feeling I guess to win after what happened during the test?
MA:
Of course. It’s the kind of result I was hoping, especially after the accident we had prior to the event. It has been a tough rally with very difficult conditions. I’m very pleased. Jari-Matti was safe, getting the speed step by step.

Q:
Do those conditions make this victory even greater?
MA:
Of course but I would have not been disappointed if we have won a proper dry Corsica.

Q:
Elfyn, this is your best-ever WRC result after a disappointing Rally Australia and you were leading the rally on Friday. Where did it all come from?
EE:
I don’t know. It didn’t feel like we were doing anything special. We just happened to click in those conditions and it worked. Obviously the times were there. It was a really positive start to the rally and we just had to carry on. It wasn’t easy but it got easier, so yes, it was a good start.

Q:
You held on to the lead until Saturday morning when a charging Jari-Matti took over. How much were you pushing trying to hold on to him? Were you not taking so many risks?
EE:
I think the first stage on Saturday was a tricky stage and we were trying to be clean but that is where we particularly lost out to Jari-Matti. I think on the 50-kilometre stage we had some luck and a good run. I was surprised to see that we were losing so little time on Jari. In Germany on dry Tarmac we were slower and we did some work before the event and back at M-Sport to know what the issue was in Germany. It was an exciting start today but it didn’t go our way.

Q:
We were all watching this thrilling battle for second place between you and Andreas Mikkelsen. And here you are, you managed it in the end! How did it not go your way?
EE:
We should never have let it get so close in the first place. I didn’t have the same felling with the car at the beginning of the day. Quite the opposite to what Jari was saying really. The conditions were tough initially; we found good speed initially and then the things got better. We became more sure of where the grip was and wasn’t. It was changeable, it was difficult and the tyre changes played a big part of this morning. When we saw Jari’s speed it became more of a defensive mode than a massive attack. We are pleased with the result.

Q:
Is this really a good confidence boost? You were really down after Australia but this is a big turnaround. How do you feel going to Spain?
EE:
It certainly won’t do any harm. It’s obvious it’s not been the year we wanted after Argentina. We felt we made really good progress at the end of last year and the beginning of this year. My performance is getting stronger on Tarmac, not as strong as gravel but it’s getting better. I am growing in confidence with it.

Q:
It is hard to believe that this is your first time in Corsica and yet you are second! How are you feeling?
DB:
We did a good job and the team did a good job also. Second overall; we could not be more happy. Being second is a good result even if it is only second. Our confidence grew as the event went on and we got ourselves into this position and have come through. So that’s good.

Q:
Were you going into the final stage thinking you had lost your second position?
DB:
I was a bit nervous but also just trying to concentrate. And Elfyn told me not to worry and just take it as a stage!

Q:
At the end of Day 1, you had some troubles. Happy to have been battling for P2 Andreas?
AM:
Yes it has been difficult. I don’t have so many kilometres under my belt on Tarmac. I took it step by step. I was very careful on the beginning. I lost 45 seconds to Elfyn after the first day. After that, step by step, we built up our speed. It was a good fight back but it’s not easy when you don’t have the feeling coming into the rally, as we didn’t do a test. At the end of the day, I’m happy enough. Having braking problems didn’t help me to find the confidence. The feeling was not always there. I have to work a little bit on it. We will try to improve in Spain. I will try to be on the true pace of the front-runners.

Q:
Your pace was brilliant today…
AM:
It was all right. On the first day I had hard tyres at the front, which was not the clever thing to do. I knew that if I finished on the podium on this rally, the points gap for third place in the championship would be quite big. That gives me a little freedom for Spain and Wales to go flat-out. So, in one way, I really would like to do that. My pace here was a little bit of a balance: going fast without taking any risks.

Q:
Let’s turn to your co driver Ola Floene. How do you feel?
OF:
I’m happy. You always ask the same question: I don’t really know what to say! We were third in 2014, and third in 2012. We didn’t have a proper preparation. Andreas was struggling a little bit in the beginning. We made a good recce. The team did a very good job: communications and notes. I was a little bit unsure in the first stage but it was okay. I’m happy.

Q:
Is it the toughest event in championship for the co-drivers?
OF:
I would say this is like Monte Carlo and I like it. If you don’t do a good job on the pace notes, there is no way you can perform.

Q:
Jost, Jari-Matti has promised to win the last three rallies of the year. Do you think this is possible?
JC:
Yes it’s possible but it is also possible from the two other crews here so that makes it six people who can do it!

Q:
Talk to us about your weekend, your return to Corsica after all these years?
JC:
It’s a beautiful island and I have seen a lot of it. As for the weather conditions on Friday, it was incredible and completely unpredictable. Last time it was that bad was 30 years ago. Of course after Friday all the stages were really nice. It’s very hard for the team to handle it in terms of logistics. It’s really tough but the stages are nice.

Q:
What can you say about Jari-Matti and Miikka’s performance over the weekend?
JC:
For me it is one of their best performances ever, especially as they managed not to push on Friday. After the day Jari-Matti was a bit confused because the engineers asked him what was going on – as they were not impressed but confused! So I told him: “Impress me and confuse the engineers rather than the other way round!” I really think that Friday was one of his best days ever.

Q:
You said in Australia you wanted to see a win from Andreas this year?
JC:
He keeps me waiting!

FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
1st - Julien Maurin
1st - Nicolas Klinger

Q:
We have seen a great battle in WRC 2 with different leaders but you came out on top. How are you feeling?
JM:
Of course it’s a big moment for us. It was not an easy rally. Normally in Corsica there is a lot of sun but this year it felt like Monte Carlo. After yesterday we drove safely with good times. Today was also difficult over the long stages.

Q:
After the issues on Friday were you cautious with your driving?
JM:
Yes, I know the roads in Corsica and I know my speed. On Friday because of the conditions it was not easy to keep our concentration. But we didn’t have too much pressure on our back after Friday.

Q:
How much did you push today as you had less pressure from behind?
JM:
The car is very good on tarmac so we just did our best to avoid punctures. Last year we were leading WRC 2 and had a lot of punctures so this year we tried to stay in the middle of the road. It’s a good way to win.

Q:
So where are we going to see you next year?
JM:
First we have to work for Spain and then we will work on next season.

Q:
Will you be back in WRC 2?
JM:
I don’t know. I hope so! I think so. This weekend is a big moment for us.

Q:
Nicolas how are you feeling except from being exhausted?
NK:
Very happy about the job that has been done.

Q:
As a co-driver how do you cope with having to read out so much information at the same time?
NK:
Yes but it’s the same for all the rallies. It’s hard sometimes to keep our concentration on very long stages.

FIA JUNIOR WRC CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
1st - Quentin Gilbert
1st - Renaud Jamoul

Q:
How do you feel after having won both the Junior WRC/WRC 3 category and the FIA Junior WRC Championship* today?
QG:
I’m very happy. We started very carefully because conditions were very difficult and it was easy to make a mistake. We pushed more on the second day to take the lead and today was a good day. We are winning the championship here in Corsica!

Q:
You said before the rally that you would not think about the championship during this event. Did you put it out of your mind?
QG:
It was difficult to keep focused but we did a very good job.

Q:
How did you get into the rhythm on this rally?
QG:
It was not so different compared to other rallies. The stages were longer but for us it was very good. I had a good feeling.

Q:
Were you nervous before the last stage?
QG:
I was a bit nervous. Even if it was 16 kilometres long, it felt like the longest stage for us in the car…very long indeed! It’s a strange sensation to win the championship. It’s amazing.

Q:
A few words about your team…
QG:
The team did a very good job all season. They were perfectly prepared for every rally. All the mechanics did a very good job too and I want to say a big thank you for that.

Q:
No need to ask you what are your plans for next year, as the prize for winning the Junior WRC is a WRC 2 drive…
QG:
Yes I’m happy to compete on six events in WRC 2 next year. It will be great if I can do more. We’re looking forward to making this step next season.

Q:
Renaud, congratulations. How does it feel to win the rally and the championship?
RJ:
It’s very special as Corsica is a classic, like the Monte-Carlo or Finland rallies. It’s a fantastic feeling of course. To win the championship here is also amazing especially for a French co-driver. In fact, I’m Belgian but I’m kind of French as I have co-driven for French drivers for a long time.

Q:
Was it difficult for you to stay focused?
RJ:
I think Quentin was lying when he said he would not think about the championship during this rally! During the first day, it was difficult. The second day, we tried to push a little bit more and took some risks with hard tyres on the front in the morning. It was okay. Everything went perfect.

Q:
Is it a kind of a relief that next year is sorted out?
RJ:
Yes. I think it will be the best winter I will ever spend because I already know what I will do next year. It’s a good thing; We will try to do more rallies and recces everywhere.

Q:
What did you think about the format of the rally?
RJ:
It was different with long stages. You have to keep concentrated. You have to keep your driver focused all the time. It’s good to have events with a different character. This one was a very good one.

* Subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA