Last year wasn’t the best season for Finland's Mikko Hirvonen. Despite plenty of earlier promise, he was off the boil for the BP-Ford World Rally Team. He talks us through what the challenges were, new competition and a new formula, as well as the new Fiesta WRC…
CAR: The 2010 season probably didn’t live up to your expectations. What were the problem areas?
MH: I don't know why last year was so difficult. We had a great start in Sweden and then we tried too hard to win every stage and every rally which caused us to overdrive and push too hard. When you do that, immediately you make mistakes. We had some small problems which we don't normally have, our car is normally 100 per cent reliable. The second half of the season I decided that I just wanted to finish the stages and make no mistakes but I ended up thinking about that too much, I wasn't relaxed and I couldn't find my rhythm. As a result I've really struggled to find a good speed
CAR: How competitive do you think the Fiesta WRC will be this year?
MH: I've just completed my first test in the car and it's fantastic. I'd been really looking forward to getting behind the wheel and I'm excited about what we can achieve this year. There's a lot more development to do but my first impressions are good and it feels like I'm driving an angry bee!
CAR: With Mini about to join the championship this year, what do you think WRC can do to attract more manufacturers?
MH: I think it's really good that they are coming into the championship. With Mini joining it will raise the level of competition and give more drivers the chance to be at the top level again. With all the teams designing new cars for 2011 it gives new manufacturers the chance to start from scratch, at the same place as existing manufacturers.
CAR: Have you played the WRC 2010 official video game? Is it as good as the developers say it is?
MH: I'm sorry to say that I haven't played it yet! I was kindly given a copy in France but I've been away testing in Spain and haven’t had the chance to play it yet. I've promised my boys that we'll play it when I get home. They're very excited already!
This quick interview is brought to you in conjunction with WRC 2010, available at all major gaming outlets now. The 2011 WRC season kicks off with the Rally Sweden on February 10.
