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09 Oct 09

During Rally de Espana, Citroen Racing director Olivier Quesnel announced that you and Sebastien would stay at Citroen in 2010. How long is your contract?
"At the moment my contract is for next year only."
So that's another year in the same team as multiple record breaker Sebastien Loeb - isn't it frustrating having somebody that good as a team-mate?
"Sometimes it is difficult because Sebastien is a very, very good driver. He drives fast and you have to push yourself to the limit to try and catch him. But if you do beat him then at least you know you?re the top driver, because he's the best. I also think I'm lucky to be teamed up with Sebastien. He's a very good person, really easy to work with him - so I'm happy to do that."
Petter Solberg was driving a C4 for the first time in Spain. How do you think he did?
"I think he did well. Petter is a very good driver - an ex world champion - so he drives really well. What he did in Spain on his first rally [in a C4] was not bad. As you would expect at the start he was being careful and not taking many risks because he didn't know the car. You can see that he's still really, really motivated after many years, that's nice to see. Drivers like him are a good motivator to all of us because who knows how fast he will be in Wales?"
Do you think he could challenge for victory on Rally GB?
"I don't know. I think he will go very, very fast. He's worn the rally four times before, so he knows it well. We'll have to see, but I'm certainly looking forward to competing with him."
Tell me about your Rally GB testing.
"I have two days testing in Wales and so far I've completed one of those. Conditions were wet to start with but the stage gradually dried out in the afternoon and got better and better. In the end it wasn't completely dry but I'd say it was 'normal' for the rally. The car felt very good and I'm happy with what we're found so far. The only problem was the first two runs; I've spent so much time on asphalt that the gravel car felt a bit strange to drive - because it's constantly moving about."
Mikko Hirvonen is going to drive the Cambrian Rally route next week as a warm-up for Rally GB. Any chance we'll see you or Sebastien there?
"It was discussed but no - we won't be there."
You've done rally GB three times before and each time you've improved your result by two places. You were 7th in 2006, 5th in 2007 and 3rd in 2008. Will it be 1st this year?
"Why not? I'll try to push hard. And this time everything is free because I don't have the pressure of the manufacturers' championship or the drivers' championship."
Will Citroen let you push in GB - won't they want Loeb to win there too?
"Sebastien doesn't need to win the rally; he just needs to beat Mikko. So if Mikko is second then yes, Seb does need to win. But if Mikko is third, then Seb only needs to finish second. That gives me more of an opportunity."

