M-Sport had built the cars for the Ford World Rally Team since 1996. They would just be going back to that if Ford 'came back'. It's just about money and some engineers and facilities for research and development; no major change.
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So is motorsport.
My guess:
Citroen
- Meeke
- Mikkelsen
- Breen
- Al-Qassim (limited program)
Hyundai
- Neuville
- Paddon
- Sordo
- ?
Toyota
- Latvala
- Tänak
- Lappi
- Sunninen (limited program)
M-Sport/Ford
- Ogier
- Evans
- Østberg
- ?
(If we go to Ford Motorsports we get the following choices.
Ford motorsports.
- STOCK CAR RACING
- FOR GT RACING
- ROAD RACING
- RALLYCROSS
- OPERATION
- OFF-ROAD RACING
RALLY is missing that is important to the European market.
To be able to keep Ogier in M-Sport, I think they are ready to support M-Sport in the next few years.
There are trivial in advertising compared to other motor ports they attend.)
DMack M-Sport
- Tidemand
Østberg oficial? No way. Suninen in M-Sport for sure. Tidemand in Toyota maybe?
Hyundai
- Neuville
- Sordo
- Paddon
Toyota
- Latvala
- Tanak
- Lappi
Citroen
- Ogier
- Meeke
- Breen
Msport
- Andreas
- Evans
- Suninen
This is what I'd guess right now (if Ford doesn't return). However if Ford return, Seb will stay and I'm sure Tanak would stay as well despite Tommi's overtures.
Paddon and Meeke both on shaky ground and need good ends to 2017.
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I don't see Ogier in Citroen, unless he is really desperate, and he seem not so last 2 seasons.
Is it just me or was Paddon's driving style cleaner a year or 2 back? Right now he is clearly throwing the car around too much - maybe out of desperation for a good result?
Maybe that's to do with pressure. He been hasn't been great for over a year now. Sadly went backwards after that superb win in Argentina, but thankfully he has age on his side (unlike Meeke) to turn this around. I still believe he has the talent to go on and fight for championships, and he's a great character to have in the sport. Very likeable.
Hyundai have witnessed first hand with Neuville how a driver can suddenly lose his mojo and look lost for a while, before bouncing back stronger. And that can maybe help them manage Paddon back to form before the end of the year. Andreas already has the feelers out and would love a move to Hyundai, what with his comments about how it was easy to drive the VW and the Hyundai quickly compared to the C3.