P-G Andersson has praised the Proton team for the development done on the Satria-Neo S2000 ahead of its SWRC debut in this week's Monte Carlo Rally.
The Swede finished this morning's shakedown stage second in SWRC, 1.6sec off the benchmark category time set by Bryan Bouffier's Peugeot 207 S2000.
"This is a very important rally for Proton," Andersson said at the FIA's pre-event press conference. "The car feels much better than before. We are looking forward. We are making small steps before every event, but, for sure, it's better than it's ever been before.
"We were here last year in the IRC and it's very special to be on the Monte Carlo Rally. It's a rally I love and hate. I have had success at the start of this event, but not always at the end."
Andersson said he would be taking a more restrained approach to the start of this week's French Alps event.
"I'm not going to take too many risks straight away," he said. "I want to keep a slower pace than at a normal event. I won't be quite so aggressive as normal. This rally is five long days and it's really important to be at the finish."