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End of day quotes, Rallye de France, Day 1

Thierry Neuville (2nd) said:
"I think we all knew that Sébastien [Ogier] would be champion this year, but I admit that it happened a little sooner than I would have liked! I was pushing really hard on the Power Stage and was up on Dani [Sordo], but he [Sordo] set a very good time and maybe the soft tyres weren't the best option for us. But a big congratulations to Sébastien and Julien [Ingrassia] all the same.
"As for the rest of the rally, we know that we have the speed and that the car is good. The forecast too looks as though it could be good for me so anything can happen. I would like to take my first victory this year, but I also need to look to Jari-Matti [Latvala] and think about the Championship. But OK, if we are still in a position to go for the win on Sunday, then I will for sure take more risks to make it happen."

Evgeny Novikov (8th) said:
"Just a short stage to start the rally, but everything was OK. Tomorrow the rally starts properly and we will try to set some good stage times. This is an event that I like, so hopefully we can set a good pace this weekend."

Mads Østberg (11th) said:
"The rally starts properly tomorrow so then we will see where everyone will really be in terms of pace. We are still learning and improving when it comes to Tarmac, so tomorrow the goal will be to finish all of the stages with some positive times and continue building our experience on this surface."

Elfyn Evans (2nd in WRC 2) said:
"The first stage was OK. There were no issues and the car felt good so we can concentrate on tomorrow now. That's when the rally really starts and we will just concentrate on our own performance and see what that brings. Other than that, I just want to have fun and enjoy this opportunity."