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Sebastien, many congratulations on your sixth FIA World Rally Championship title and your 54th rally win. How tough did you find the last round here Wales?

"It was a really difficult rally. The conditions were extreme and Mikko was fast. We knew we would have to try really hard to take some risks and make no mistakes, and that’s what we have done. It was a great rally and Mikko was pushing all the time. He has done a great rally. Finally, even today when I started with a 30 second lead I knew everybody thought that I was going to win, but in the car it is not the same story and you have to manage that, and keep in mind that you have to push because Mikko will try anything.

"I did a little mistake in the second stage today, and lost a bit of confidence in some silly places and then I was too slow and too cautious and lost a lot of time. From there we had to start very hard, but then Mikko had his problem and it was over. But it was a really exciting weekend with a lot of pressure and stress. To win this title in this situation is an incredible feeling."

You took a huge amount of time from Mikko on stages eight and nine on Saturday, how did you manage that?
"

I was really angry after Mikko beat me on the first stage, that’s the first thing. So I understood at that point that if I didn’t react, then he would beat me again and so I started flat-out and it was a good rhythm and I realised how good the grip was which gave me the confidence. I have always been better on the second loop and because there is more grip and I can brake late like on tarmac.

"Our car was very good in that situation. It’s much more difficult for me when it is really slippery. For sure when I saw in the splits that I was taking a lot of time out of Mikko I knew I would have to continue until the end, not to slow down and to take as many seconds as I can. I tried to do everything and really it was an incredible job."

At the end of today's third stage you revealed that a turbo problem was affecting your car's performance. Was that a big worry?

"Not really. I noticed on the first stage that something was wrong and it wasn't working like normal, so we tried to analyse the problem. We had a good idea of what it was, and we didn't think it was something that would get worse. We felt it would stay as it was. It [the turbo system] was not working perfectly, so the response was a bit slow - normally with the system we have immediate power, but today I had some delay, but that was it. I found how to drive the car like that and it was okay."

Compared to your five previous WRC titles, how difficult has this one been?

"Really hard. The start was good, with five victories, but then we went into a time where nothing was going right. I did a mistake in Greece, we broke the cross-member in Poland and then it was difficult to find the confidence again because everybody thought I went off the road twice in a row. Even though the second one wasn't my fault, we didn't know that at the time. Then we had the penalty in Australia. But in Australia I also found my confidence again. I knew we could win. But this has been first time we have arrived at the last race of the year knowing we had to win it to win the Championship. That was another type of pressure. When you have won the title three rallies before the end it’s no big pressure, because you know, okay, if I finish third I will still be Champion and that’s okay, but when you arrive like that on the last rally and you know that everything will be decided here it makes it a bit special."

How do you rate Mikko's challenge this year?

"Mikko has been a big rival. He's always on the road, he never makes any mistakes and he's very fast everywhere. Today, we knew when we arrived here that one of us would be happy and the other disappointed. I said to him that neither one of us deserves to be disappointed, and now he is for sure. At the end of the last stage I said to him I'm bit sorry, and that's really what I feel. I know how he feels, but he has done a great season."

During the Rally Spain Citroen Racing boss Olivier Quesnel confirmed that you would be back in his team for 2010. Is the contract signed now, and how long will you stay for?

"The contract is not actually signed, no, but it is desired. It’s with the lawyers now. The contract is for the next two years."

You've won six world titles now. How long do you think you'll continue to compete in the World Rally Championship?

"I don't know. As long as I can, for sure. I drive because I like to, so I’ll carry on as long as I feel that way. When I feel that I'm not motivated enough, maybe then I’ll stop. Having a fight like today though was really exciting. I enjoyed it a lot."

There is a break now of three months until the start of the new season. What will you do?

"Have some holiday, that’s the first thing, and just have some good times and start the testing for next year like every time in the winter."