2022 WRC News & Rumours

[mknight]

I can't agree - there literally isn't any other choice for customers. Whether the car is 11th by paydriver or Loeb winning isn't swaying anyone's decision to go Rally1 or not. Whether it has mechanical failures might.

As I wrote if customers see the Rally1 car has no chance vs competition they won't pay. Pretty much like it was in 2021.

Instead they go to Rally2 and stay there. Gryazin is a case in point, he even tested Fiesta in Arctic 2021, then by the end of the year after driving Fiesta Rally2 (and seeing MSport) went to Toksport Fabia instead. Other people with money seems to be following similar route (for example Bulacia(s)).
On the other hand Loubet seemed to go for Puma first after he saw how well it went in Monte this year.

They hired Breen because he was free (as suggested on here) and they needed somebody, anybody, to just turn up and not consistently crash or embarrass them - the Fourmaux deal came too late in the hour. Can discuss Breen vs A.N Other but at the time, no Breen = no Gus, Rockdoor, Huttunen, Loubet, Serderidis, Bertelli, Red Bull... Loeb came via the promoter like a customer, M-Sport didn't ring him. There's no championship charge expectations anywhere, there's no risky strategy, there's no number one driver...

MSport PR talks very different, but sure it's PR. I find it very hard to believe that Ford would put any money into new car with "no plans and no expectation" as you put it. We have seen the promo at Goodwood last year.

Your own post basically contradicts the notion of "there is no number one driver". Millener does as well when he says Breen was hired to get results (podiums or wins).