03.04.2017
The opening round of the 2017 FIA WorldRX Championship at Barcelona, Spain, saw the Peugeot 208 WRX 2017 reveal real potential for the fiercely-competitive campaign ahead.
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Kenneth Hansen (Team Principal)
“First of all, it’s great to be competing again. The level is very high this year and you really need a car at the peak of its potential, driven to its limits by top drivers if you want to be a part of the fight. In terms of outright pace, the weekend demonstrated that the Peugeot 208 WRX is up there with the very best. Unfortunately, a transmission-related issue prevented Sébastien from making it through to the semi-finals.”
Sébastien Loeb (Peugeot 208 WRX #9)
“It wasn’t the best of starts to the year for me. I had a small problem during Q3 which was a crucial heat after Saturday’s poor weather. The track was in a good state but I was unable to reach the finish after a drive shaft popped out. I ended up last in Q3 and I was first to run in Q4 when the dusty surface prevented me from reaching the semi-finals. It was very frustrating. The car feels good but we are up against some strong opposition.”
Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208 WRX #21)
“It was interesting to see everyone’s speed at last. Our rivals are clearly fast but, from what we saw in the semi-finals and the final, I feel we have the speed, even though the way the weekend unfolded didn’t always permit us to make the very most of our car’s potential. I never found it a problem to keep up with the others, though, so we have good potential. I feel optimistic, even though we were a little down on luck this weekend, but I’m sure that’s going to change.”
Kevin Hansen (Peugeot 208 WRX #71)
“It felt like a pretty good weekend in terms of my pace and I like to think I have settled into the team okay. I feel my dialogue with the engineers was good but it was a weekend of ups and downs. I was a little lucky in Q2, but less so at other times. I don’t think I really managed to show my full potential. I was in sixth position for the start of my semi-final, so I had to find a way to move up the order. I attempted a move but it didn’t work out.”
FINAL POSITIONS – BARCELONA (April 2, 2017)
CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS AFTER 1 ROUND
Drivers’ standings
Teams’ standings