Mr. Mouton and the Audi Quattro: “Not as easy as people said”

How did you receive Audi's proposal?

With my English not being fantastic, I only understood a few words: "world championship", "four-wheel drive" and "Audi", that's about it. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but "world championship" was enough of an argument. I knew I had to say yes.

Did you have difficulty adapting to the quattro?

Not really. It is certain that it was different from rear-wheel drive, that four-wheel drive modified the behavior and the way of driving. She was understeering a bit, but then Mikkola taught me to brake with my left foot. I started at the end of 1980 with a rally in Finland. I especially remember that I broke down in minus 40 degrees, in running boots.

I was asked to drive nicely and I don't remember it being too difficult. When I found my Fiat 131 Abarth at the Rallye du Var, I found it undriveable. This reassured me in my choice: I had done well to change.

What was the role of Hannu Mikkola in the evolution of the quattro?

A major role, because his mission was to develop the car and he always considered me his equal. I wasn't an engineer like him, but I always had a very good feeling and I was able to express it with my words. I was rarely wrong. Very kindly, he always shared with me his thoughts and the changes he made. We worked together, out of step with our technical skills, so to speak.

Did you expect to win in your first year with Audi?

Not at all, because it wasn't as easy as people said. I had to keep up the pace for several days and I took this challenge head on. I always compared myself to other quattro drivers. The Acropolis, in incredible heat, when you had to drive non-stop day and night, was not easy for anyone and it built character.

Did Walter Röhrl's statements increase your motivation tenfold when you faced him for the world title the following year?

I want to set things right a little. Knowing Walter, I don't think he was saying anything against me. When it was reported to me that he had said that a monkey could drive a quattro, I replied jokingly that I was not concerned since I was a sheep! I never had a problem with Walter, who was a great driver whatever the conditions.

For me, these statements changed nothing, it was mainly the journalists who played with it. When he arrived in the team (in 1984. Editor's note), there were four of us and it became a little more like the factory. I was earning a good living, but I felt a certain weariness and perhaps I no longer held on in the same way.