Dani Sordo Q&A

First of all, Rally Sweden. Were you happy or disappointed with your fourth place in the opening round of the season?

“It’s obvious that I’d have preferred to finish on the podium, but fourth place is a fairly normal one for me in a winter rally. What I do remember is that I had a very good first day. I’d prepared really well for this event and I was able to match Seb’s and Mikko’s pace right away on these very fast stages. Quite honestly, finishing the first day around ten seconds behind the leader was more than I’d expected. The next day I lost contact with the two leaders after a spin. And then we screwed up and lost third place.”

You seemed very angry on Saturday evening!

“Yes I was. It’s very annoying to be involved in a battle where every second counts and then to lose a minute pulling off a radiator shield that should have been removed before the start of the stage. It’s a mistake that’s all the more stupid as everything is done on board the car to make sure we don’t forget it. In fact, everybody was furious that evening! But we’re not going to go on about it for the rest of our lives; you’ve got to put it behind you and progress, Marc and I have forgotten this incident and we’re now fully concentrated on Rally Mexico.”

Do you think you’ll be as quick on Mexican gravel as on Swedish ice?

“I’ve always felt at home in Mexico. In 2008, my chances were dashed in the first stage when a suspension arm broke on a stone. After that, I set good times. This year I really believe I can make the same step forward on gravel as I did on ice in Sweden. I like this event very much - and not just because I speak the same language as the locals! The people are very enthusiastic and they make a huge effort to organise a great rally in Léon. I hope to be on the podium at the end!”