Car 1, Ogier/Ingrassia
“I think it was not too bad. We will see at the end of the loop but for now, I am quite happy with it. We suffer a bit wit the road cleaning.”
Car 2, Latvala/Anttila
“The start and middle were really good but from 15Km it was very slippery. The end, downhill, was very bad. I thought I was driving slowly but it looks like everyone was doing the same. There were rocks in strange places so we went over some rocks.”
Car 3, Meeke/Nagle
“We had a big moment – a wrong pace note. A corner I thought was fifth gear but it was fourth but that’s what can happen on a new rally. We were quite lucky.”
Car 4, Ostberg/Andersson
“It was slippery. I couldn't really get a good rhythm on the first one but this was a bit better. It is hard to know if you are going too slow or if it is just slippery. I don't have the perfect feeling and I don't know why.”
Car 6, Tanak/Molder
“This stage was a disaster. I was expecting very different conditions. A bit like Monte Carlo on the snow, it was so slippery.”
Car 8, Sordo/Marti
“It was very different from yesterday – very slippery stages. With two hard tyres, the car was moving very much. It’s like a completely different rally. It is strange today – more for soft tyres.”
Car 9, Mikkelsen/ Floene
“That was really tricky and slippery. I struggled a lot. But a clean stage for us. I am happy with my tyre choice.”
Car 12, Al Qassimi/ Patterson
“I’m trying to get the feeling on the slippery roads.”
Car 14, Kubica/ Szczepaniak
“It was a very slippery stage but quite nice. All is OK”
Car 20, Paddon/Kennard
“I took it really easy on the hard stuff to try to look after the soft tyres. But the next one, will be hard with soft tyres on the car”
Car 21, Prokop/Tománek
“We have a puncture on the rear. There was a line of stones and I could not miss them. I had to slow down a lot as the car was really oversteering. ”
Car 31, Al Rajhi/Orr
“In the first stage we spun, on this one, at two junctions we went the wrong way. I don't know how much time we lost but quite a lot, I think.”
Car 32, Lefebvre/Prevot
“In the first one, I made some bad pace notes. This one was OK but it is difficult. I push a little bit more for the last one.”
Car 36, Kruuda/ Järveoja
“The first part was uphill and the grip was not bad. But when you get into the big rocks – it was something different. It felt a bit like being on ice on studs. It felt very slow and I thought I would lose a lot – slowly and keep the car straight – and it was not bad.”
Car 37, Bertelli/Bernacchini
“It is so slippery – we spun. The stage is very slippery. We are the front runner, so maybe it is normal.”
Car 40, Ketomaa/Lindstrom
“I went too fast into a left corner and there was a tight one after that. There was a big wall. I went maybe 5cm too wide and it hit the wall and broke the arm. I have to try to fix it with the tools but I don’t know if I can. I have no parts in the car.”
Car 42, Al-Attiyah/Baumel
“The road is very different and I think it will be destroyed this afternoon. The car needs to be made for sandy roads and we will try to see what we can do on the next one. The front is pushing a lot so we will make some changes for this afternoon.”
Car 43, Tidemand/Axelsson
“It is good. It is fun to drive here. Everything is working well and the team has done a fantastic job. No risks, just a clean run.”
Car 44, Kremer/Winklhofer
“The second stage was not so good. I think we have a puncture on the rear so there was not a good feeling on the car at the end.”
Car 47, Gorban/Korsia
“Really slippery. A lot of slow corners and lots of changes to the rhythm. But it is OK.”
Car 50, Grondal/Eilertsen
“I had no brake pedal from the start, so it was impossible to drive. I am trying to cool the brakes. I don't know if they are overheating or what but they didn't come back on the road section.”
Car 70, Lappi/Ferm
“It is going very well. I am really surprised by the times. It felt so bad but I guess it is the same for everyone. There is so much loose gravel and it feels like you are not going anywhere.”
Car 71, Parn/Morgan
“This morning didn't start so well. On the first stage, I hit something on a slow corner and we broke the front left suspension. We changed it on the road section so we were five minutes late at the start. Here, we drove slower as we didn't have the feeling. It is very easy to make mistakes today. The car is 90% OK but the rhythm is ruined a little bit now.”
Car 75, Al-Kuwari/Clarke
“I didn't think I was doing well but the time is not too bad. Very loose and I am struggling this rally with the tyres – they don't last too long. For half of this stage, I could not trust my notes – the car was moving around. There were some big rocks in the stage.”