Present:
Lorenzo Bertelli, FWRT
Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Motorsport
Thierry Neuville, Hyundai Motorsport
Eric Camilli, M-Sport World Rally Team

Q:
Lorenzo, good to have you back, we missed you on the last round; are you fully recovered, is your ankle okay now?
LB:
Yes, it is okay. Just a little pain but it is okay. No problem.

Q:
Obviously, competing at home on Italian soil is going to be special for you; we had great results from you here in the past, what is your hope in WRC?
LB:
Hopefully in the top 10. The shakedown went quite well. I am positive for the rest.

Q:
How do you feel your time in the WRC car is going, do you feel that you are getting stronger?
LB:
Yes, for sure. Last year we lost a bit of time but this year we have some margin to improve and I am much more confident with the car.

Q:
We have seen you with a few co-drivers over your career and we see a new co-driver this season. How is that relationship working for you?
LB:
It is working great. I have a great feeling with Simone and I am very happy for the choice. There is a good feeling in the car, it is great.

Q:
Jari-Matti, we are approaching half way through the year, how are you feeling about your season and your chances in the Championship?
J-ML:
I am in sixth position and it is not what I wanted. I have done a couple of mistakes and I have had some technical problems so at the end of the day, as I mentioned, we are in sixth position. As long as there is a chance you keep going and keep fighting because you never know what happens. There has been years like 2001, where it looked like there was a champion and by the end of the year there was a champion by one point. It shows me that still there is a chance you have to keep fighting.

Q:
So flat out this weekend?
J-ML:
Yes, this time you have to go and get points and I have done it for the last couple of years, but I think it is important to find the rhythm. You know what you are doing in this sense when you have a rough section and rocks and things and you realise you take little risk and so then you save your car. When it is faster and when it is smoother you can get going and attack, but here if you attack too much, if you do a mistake, it is penalising you more than any other rally.

Q:
We have seen a win from you this yaer. Are you happy with the pace that you delivered or is there more that we can see from you?
J-ML:
The speed in Mexico and Argentina looked really good, in Portugal it was a little slowing but I was still getting a good feeling. It is a little difficult to say; I think the speed is alright but I need more consistency.

Q:
Consistency is a word that you have been using for many years. When are you going to find out that consistency?
J-ML:
Yes, that is a good question. I am thirty-one years old and I am still looking for it. Maybe I have to accept the way I am and the way I am driving. That is maybe the best target and not finding something else.

Q:
Thierry, you seemed pretty good at the table football we saw last night to mark Hyundai’s football sponsorship. Maybe being a footballer is possible if you ever want to give up the rally!
TN:
I am a quite good footballer, I enjoy football, but it is too dangerous for me. There are many incidents in football, more actually than rally.

Q:
We saw you on the podium last year, you seem to like these stages, is that true to say or not?
TN:
Yes, a couple of podiums in the years. It was my first rally with a four-wheel drive car in 2010. It is a lovely island, it is a tricky event, last year as well there were many problems.

Q:
You talked at the end of last year wanting this season to be different, and for things to go well. We have seen pace but we have also seen things going wrong for you. How can you change that? What is the plan here?
TN:
I think this season was okay with the podium in Monte Carlo, Sweden fighting for a podium and even in Mexico. Argentina was a bit of a disaster for us for technical issues, obviously very unlucky. I could not change much, I try to do my best, I still enjoy it. I have to say with my new car I am enjoying much more again. We are more comfortable.

Q:
How much more potential does the car have, or have you seen it at its maximum potential?
TN:
No, I think there are some evolutions for now but since the season is going ahead so fast - we are already on the sixth event - so it is going fast, I am sure that we need some more improvements, but at the same time we are focusing on 2017 and the new WRC car. We have to find the right balance.

Q:
Eric, we have seen two good events from you, Argentina and Portugal you got through without using Rally 2, but also some competitive times in Portugal as well – are you happy with what you have done in those two past events?
EC:
Happy, yes, of course. It is our best results in the WRC, so it is a good thing but we need to work again and again to do the same results as Portugal and improve a lot of things on notes and everything on setting the car up and discovering the WRC. I do not have a lot of experience on gravel rallies but I am very happy to do that after a difficult start.

Q:
You mention your notes, we saw your co-driver change at the start of the season, then you went back to your original co-driver, Benjamin Veillas, how is that relationship working? How are your notes developing now at WRC level?
EC:
It is working great with Benjamin. We work together all the time because we live so close in France. We find something to improve like the distance between the corners and some little things like that.

Q:
We saw you compete here last year in WRC 2 - what did you learn last year from this event that can help you this year?
EC:
I remember it was a very hard because we were competing for the first time in the WRC 2. Here we hope to preserve the car, we need to see the finish line. It is a great run, I think this is a beautiful place, it is a beautiful place as well for the show. It is challenging.

FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
Umberto Scandola
Esapekka Lappi, Skoda Motorsport

Q:
Esapekka, this is your first WRC 2 event of the 2016 season, we missed you so far and it is good to have you back. How confident are you feeling now coming in to Rally Sardegna?
EL:
As confident as I can be. As you know we had a small break but we had other breaks before, as you know last year with the new car we were in Portugal, then we had a six month break but we are still managing to battle for victory. The four month break does not stop me for sure.

Q:
We hope not. You tested before the event: how do you feel in the car, is everything good for you?
EL:
Yes, everything is perfect. On the shakedown we tried a bit of setup. Everything is ready for the race, I am pretty confident with the car and with my notes.

Q:
Last year you were fighting for the WRC 2 title; do you think it is going to be a possibility this year?
EL:
I messed up last year and this year it will not happen again. For sure I am fighting for the title. Okay, this race is maybe a survival race on the cars, we need to take care of the cars and the tyres as well. We do not need to go flat out all the time here.

Q:
So survival is key here?
EL:
I think so. It is a bit of a question of luck here. There are rocks on the stages that everyone can pick up in front of you and you just cannot avoid them anymore. It is a question of luck but I hope we have luck for this stage.

Q:
Umberto, how are you feeling about the competition?
US:
For me it is the second time in the WRC, the first time was 11 years ago and I am very happy. We have a good feeling with the car but not 100%. We do not know these stages, for us it is 80% new. It is very important for us, this experience to test for next event in the Italian Championship, Rally of San Marino on gravel.

Q:
You’re here off the back of a win in the Italian Rally Championship, does that give you a good confidence coming here?
US:
Yes. We are here for the confidence, the car, the setup with the tyres. It is a very long rally for me, for Italian drivers it is not usual, we have races that are 150 kilometres and here in only one day; for us is important to arrive at the end of the race.

Q:
Yes, it is a big challenge here, you said you are not 100% happy with the car. What is not quite right?
US:
No, I am very happy with the car. I have not 100% feeling, but the car is very fast on gravel and for me is the best car.

Q:
What is your hope for this weekend, there are some great drivers for you to battle with; do you think a win is possible?
US:
I do not think so, but the best is possible. I do not know which position.

Q:
Is it possible that we may see you again or is it just a hope of the Italian fans?
US:
No. For us, at the moment, only the Italian event. I hope in the future, maybe, I do not know if it is possible but at the moment only the Italian race.

FIA WRC 3 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
Fabio Andolfi, ACI Team Italia

Q:
Fabio, how are you feeling ahead of the event? How much testing have you done in preparation for Rally Sardegna?
FA:
After Rally Portugal we did not do test because we did it before. In total we did more than one hundred kilometres. The setup is okay for this race and I am very happy with car and Pirelli tyres.

Q:
We have seen you perform on a few events this year in the WRC 3. Are you happy with your driving? Are you happy with your performance?
FA:
I am happy with myself, I had a good result in Rally Monte Carlo and Rally Portugal.

Q:
What is your hope for the WRC 3 season? Do you think you are one of the favourites?
FA:
I know I have the best position in the standings among the drivers who are racing here. I think I am the favourite, but this rally is very tricky, very difficult for me and very long.

Q:
So, we talked about strategy with Esapekka and we said “survival rally”. And so, what is your strategy for this rally?
FA:
My strategy will be to arrive at the end of every day because these stages will be very difficult to drive because of the rocks and for the conditions of the road. My target is to collect as much points as possible. I am here thanks to ACI Team Italia, Pirelli, Romeo Ferraris team and above all my manager Claudio Bortoletto.