Back in the Service Park in Trier, here’s what Citroen’s Dani Sordo had to say about taking the first WRC victory of his career.
Q: Dani, congratulations! How does it feel to finally get the result you have dreamed of for so long?
DS: “I am felling really well after my first win. We didn’t start well, but things improved after we changed the set-up. In bad conditions we had to fight a little bit more and in the end we finally won.”
Q: A fantastic battle, especially today when you started in the lead by 0.8 seconds. Were you nervous this morning?
DS: “No, it was quite okay. In the first stage, we were a little bit faster than Thierry Neuville. Then we had to wait for one hour doing nothing before the next stage. That was a little bit long, to be honest. In the last stage, it was interesting, but it was nice.”
Q: You have spent the majority of your career with the Citroën team, does it feel good to take the first win with them?
DS: “It was an emotional one, of course. A lot of people were there, close friends and family. Many people were very happy for my win. I knew that the team and Mikko (Hirvonen) were supporting me as well. You feel that people are supporting you, that is always nice.”
Q: What was the feeling when you crossed the finish line and realised you had done enough to win?
DS: “It was a very good feeling. In the middle of the stage, I wasn’t nervous, but Thierry (Neuville) was pushing like hell, so it was really close. After we crossed the line, we saw the message in the car that Thierry was driving slowly. Then it was already looking good, but we weren’t sure. We had to wait for the confirmation and it was a relief when it finally came.”
Q: Was there any pressure on your shoulders to do well here?
DS: “No, it wasn’t a lot of pressure. On tarmac, we were confident we could do well. I was more scared about the set-up, because we didn’t do a lot of testing here, but we made some good changes and after that, the car was really good.”
Q: How much will this help you to secure a drive for next year?
DS: “I don’t know, but I am really happy with the victory. If it helps me for next year, then it is good, but if not, so be it. Having this victory is just very nice.”