Wrc.com interview: Jari-Matti Latvala - Part 2

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Q. Mikko Hirvonen is team leader at Ford this year. How do you think he's feeling about your performance this year?
"Mikko took it very positively when I joined the team and he was very supportive. But of course, the fact that he's the first driver and I've been quicker on the last two rallies could lead to a little bit of a stressful feeling; but it's been okay because he's been driving very sensibly. Mikko is the kind of driver who knows when it's important to take points rather than risking too much. Now you see that Mikko is leading the championship, so maybe we have different driving style, you know? I'm trying to push hard to get to the really top places, Mikko is thinking more about the whole season than just the moment."

Q. Last year Mikko said he learned a lot from his team-mate Marcus Gronholm. Who do you turn to for WRC advice?
"I learnt a lot last year, some things from Mikko and some from Marcus, if there were some problems I went to them and got some advice. Basically these two guys are the ones from whom I've learned a lot. I don't speak to Marcus since he stopped his career, so now it's mainly Mikko."

Q. Who have been the most influential people in your career to date?
"There are many people who have helped and supported me. The most important person is my manager Timo Johki who first started to help me in 2002. And of course Malcolm Wilson is important in my career because he has given me a lot of chances. Even when I had a lot of crashes he carried on supporting me. Going right back I learnt a lot from my family, they started everything and supported me to get started in rallying in the first place."

Q. If you weren't at Ford, which other team in the current WRC would you like to drive for?
"I think it would be very interesting to drive the Citroen because at the moment like the Focus it's one of the quickest cars in the championship. It would be very interesting to see the difference between the Focus and the C4."

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