Andreas Mikkelsen

[AL14]

Just all part of the game. I wouldn't believe any of eithers recent remarks

Exactly. They are negotiating so Mikkelsen will say he is talking with everyone, and Nandan that they don't need Mikkelsen.
I don't believe for a second that they make Mikkelsen test the car just to have a feedback.

In november Ogier asked to test other cars and they refused.

[Simmi]

If Mikkelsen is entered for Portugal in a Fabia R5 - with dispensation can this entry later change to a Hyundai WRC?

[skarderud]

If Mikkelsen is entered for Portugal in a Fabia R5 - with dispensation can this entry later change to a Hyundai WRC?
Yes, you can change both car, class and co-driver, but only one of them.

Sent fra min XP7700 via Tapatalk

[Simmi]

Yes, you can change both car, class and co-driver, but only one of them.

But to move into a Hyundai he's changing both class and car no?

[denkimi]

Yes, you can change both car, class and co-driver, but only one of them.

Sent fra min XP7700 via Tapatalk

i thought it was driver, codriver or car.

[Sulland]

Would surprize me if Even does not get a phonecall from Matton in the coming days. They are in need of a driver that can start bringing it all the way to the finish, and get them manupoints!

[dupanton]

If Mikkelsen is entered for Portugal in a Fabia R5 - with dispensation can this entry later change to a Hyundai WRC?

I don't think so. You can't change the entrant I think. And the '17 WRCs must be entered by the manufacturer, so no possibility there.
He's not going to be in a 2017 WRC car that soon I think. It's not that simple, although he deserves it and every team could use him. His only chance is M-Sport with personal sponsors IMO.

[AnttiL]

He's not going to be in a 2017 WRC car that soon I think. It's not that simple, although he deserves it and every team could use him. His only chance is M-Sport with personal sponsors IMO.
Agreed. And he's not willing to pay to drive so M-Sport is no option. I believe he'll get a one-off drive this season and then a proper seat for 2018

[sindroms]

"Norwegian ran an i20 WRC Car on the final day of Hyundai's pre Argentina test in Portugal but rolled car at some point during the test, a crash that was not mentioned".
Motorsport Monday - http://mmuk.realviewdigital.com/#folio=38

Also - http://mmuk.realviewdigital.com/#folio=39

[Andre Oliveira]

Here: http://www.motorsportforums.com/showthread.php?107-WRC-Testing&p=1134745&viewfull=1#post1134745

[AnttiL]

https://carlocanovarallye.org/2017/05/02/mikkelsen-per-adesso-non-trova-posto-ne-in-toyota-ne-in-hyundai/
http://revistascratch.com/wrc/noticia/andreas-mikkelsen-se-reune-con-tommi-makinen-37767

If google translate is correct, Mikkelsen had negotiations with Tommi Mäkinen last week, but he wouldn't join the team before 2018.

As Mikkelsen, I'd be happy with this, try to focus on preparing for all events next season by doing the recces and driving the WRC2 events and maybe even testing a bit. Maybe he could even get a fourth car seat in one rally?

[Watson]

As Mikkelsen, I'd be happy with this, try to focus on preparing for all events next season by doing the recces and driving the WRC2 events and maybe even testing a bit. Maybe he could even get a fourth car seat in one rally?

It's surely not bad the way it looks for him now, yet I could imagine that his inexperience in the new cars will be a remarkable disadvantage next year. If he is going to join Toyota (or any other team) next year it'd be good for him to sign the contract asap so he can at least do a lot of testing and development work with the car he'll be driving next year beside competing in WRC2 this year.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Mikkelsen needs to be careful... Ogier may come back on the market for 2018.

[Andre Oliveira]

Ogier is not in market anymore

[EstWRC]

you portuguese guys seem to be very confident here regarding where Mikkelsen goes and where Ogier is or not.

[EightGear]

you portuguese guys seem to be very confident here regarding where Mikkelsen goes and where Ogier is or not.
Yes, but only saying vague, criptic things isn't helping at all.

[Watson]

Mikkelsen needs to be careful... Ogier may come back on the market for 2018.

M-Sport would surely do good to get to the root of all the little brake- hydraulic- and electrical problems that slow all their drivers down in each rally to make Ogier more confident that he should stay there.

[Andre Oliveira]

Mikkelsen have any link to RAMSPORT yet?

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Ogier is not in market anymore

No-one in any media is aware of Ogier's future and they speculate that he could go to another team in 2018 (hence why Mikkelsen isnt being snapped up). Tell us what you've heard or stop these pointless posts.

[Rally Power]

No-one in any media is aware of Ogier's future and they speculate that he could go to another team in 2018 (hence why Mikkelsen isnt being snapped up). Tell us what you've heard or stop these pointless posts.

Cool down Eddie, no need to follow the media or look into a crystal ball, Ogier will be at Citroen next year...it's written in the stars! ;)

[Andre Oliveira]

Your portuguese sky is different of mine :)

I can't reveal sources. And i don't have 100% certain, but... I will be here if no deal of Ford/M-Sport/Ogier in 2017 midseason.

FastEddie, i will stop then ;)

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Your portuguese sky is different of mine :)

I can't reveal sources. And i don't have 100% certain, but... I will be here if no deal of Ford/M-Sport/Ogier in 2017 midseason.

FastEddie, i will stop then ;)

We hear you. Stop now and let us enjoy the speculation.

[N.O.T]

why you bother with portugeese ??? they lie all the time.

I remember the entry lists of madeira when they announced every WRC driver to take part and in the end nothing happened...

do not bother or give credit to lying low lifes and your life will be better.

[Andre Oliveira]

Keep calm boy :) Portuguese no, some portuguese ;)

[Rally Power]

why you bother with portugeese ??? they lie all the time.

Coming from a Greek that’s, obviously, a joke; a bad one, not surprisingly.

[spyros]

Coming from a Greek that’s, obviously, a joke; a bad one, not surprisingly.

Do you mean that Greeks are liars......so sad!

[Watson]

Guys you need to chill. The troll called out on the portuguese and Rally Power went on the counter attack. Portugal and Greece are both great places with very nice and honest people ;)

[AnttiL]

Yet more Hyundai rumors...this time Mikkelsen would drive the fourth Hyundai in 2018

http://pitlanef1.es/2017/05/04/andreas-mikkelsen-y-un-cuarto-hyundai-i20-los-planes-para-el-wrc-en-2018/

[sollitt]

Guys you need to chill. The troll called out on the portuguese and Rally Power went on the counter attack. Portugal and Greece are both great places with very nice and honest people ;)Did someone let the nutty kids out again?

[Watson]

Did someone let the nutty kids out again?

What is your problem now?

[AL14]

Euro 2004 still hurts. :D

[liposh]

I like these southern nations and their arguments.

[olemann]

read this
http://www.andreasmikkelsen.com/blog/2017-05-12-remarkable-people-and-awesome-teams

[janvanvurpa]

read this
http://www.andreasmikkelsen.com/blog/2017-05-12-remarkable-people-and-awesome-teams

Thanks! Since i spent the first half of my life pounding my head into sand and dirt and rocks I really was happy to see him saying "I have taken up moto-cross again. It is the best training for me"... Nice because I have been saying that for the 30+ years after I stopped and got into rally. I say "it's the same thing as driving a rally car on gravel, just different hardware."
Thanks again..

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Any WRC team serious about winning the title must sign Andreas Mikkelsen right now, says his former VW boss:

https://t.co/Yv7zUjgUxc https://t.co/I2dPPbNfdu

[mknight]

That's true only with modifications

Toyota and Citroen certainly need him if they want to have any chance for 2017 man. title, but most likely it's too late anyway.
Hyundai could boost their chances since one of the drivers is clearly underperforming and the other is just a "safe" 4th place finisher atm.

For Ford it doesn't really make sense, Tanak might be a bit slower in general but he knows the car. Evans has now shown that with the tires and start position combination he can get good points too.

One interesting point though is that Mikkelsen is pretty sure to get good starting position for all gravel rallies until the end of the season, making him an instant winner candidate.

[er88]

Citroen won't sign Andreas until Seb has decided where he will drive next year

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Citroen won't sign Andreas until Seb has decided where he will drive next year

I said something similar a while back. If AM doesnt get in '17 car soon then teams will think they may as well wait in case Ogier becomes avaiable again (for next season).

[Mintexmemory]

If AM doesnt get in '17 car soon then teams will think they may as well wait in case Ogier becomes avaiable again (for next season).

Who is this AM of whom you speak?

[jparker]

Citroen won't sign Andreas until Seb has decided where he will drive next year
What's wrong with both of them in Citroen? No?

[Mintexmemory]

What's wrong with both of them in Citroen? No?

At VW Mikkelsen was contracted before the contractless Ogier signed - Now a 4 times champ, Ogier would have something to say about team mates in any negotiation. Clearly he didn't have a problem with Ott, and the Fiesta clearly met his needs. Given a free hand I'm sure Ogier would prefer a Breen to a Mikkelsen as teammate.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Who is this AM of whom you speak?

Er, the clue is in the thread title... ;)

[Mintexmemory]

Er, the clue is in the thread title... ;)

I was being sarcastic after the thread was taking the line - AM is a forgotten man! Ah well I'll save my irony for elsewhere.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

I was being sarcastic after the thread was taking the line - AM is a forgotten man! Ah well I'll save my irony for elsewhere.

Sorry mate. Couldnt be bothered typing his name out on my tiny phone keyboard.

[jparker]

I was being sarcastic after the thread was taking the line - AM is a forgotten man! Ah well I'll save my irony for elsewhere.

I do understand that Breen is probably playing backup role for Meeke, but to be honest, he is yet to make any good impression. At the same time Mikkelsen is doing a lot better I think. Forgotten man? I don't think so.

[Allez Andruet]

I do understand that Breen is probably playing backup role for Meeke, but to be honest, he is yet to make any good impression.
What have you been smoking?

[N.O.T]

can you take that degenerate initials culture elsewhere please ? what are you 15 ?

[jparker]

can you take that degenerate initials culture elsewhere please ? what are you 15 ?

Am I peesing you off? Enjoy it .....

[jparker]

What have you been smoking?

Not British Tobaccos, that's for sure.

[AnttiL]

I believe he'll get a one-off drive this season and then a proper seat for 2018
Well the first part of my prediction already happened as he's substituting Lefebvre in Sardinia, let's hope the second part is also happening

[Allez Andruet]

It wouldn't make any sense whatsoever for Citroen to bring Lefebvre back for ultra-fast rallies like Poland and Finland. Though one must wonder why this was announced as a one-off deal in the first place?

IF Meeke would return to his 2015-2016 form, then Meeke-Mikkelsen-Breen makes a terrific trio for a title challange in 2018.

[Andre Oliveira]

Yes, Meeke crashing 3 and win 1 is a good form. He will allways have a good start order. Hope wrong but Meeke will feel the pressure of Mikkelsen :(

[AnttiL]

It wouldn't make any sense whatsoever for Citroen to bring Lefebvre back for ultra-fast rallies like Poland and Finland. Though one must wonder why this was announced as a one-off deal in the first place?

The official explanation is that Citroen needs fresh experience for Sardinia, as they didn't compete there last year.

[itix]

Maybe I missed it and it has already been posted but Andreas will drive a C3 in Sardegna.
Sorry if I'm double posting.

Edit: I was... For some reason I got all of the latest posts only when I posted. I blame tapatalk!

[AnttiL]

Edit: I was... For some reason I got all of the latest posts only when I posted. I blame tapatalk!

You can refresh both the forum topic list or a topic post list by scrolling all the way to the top and then trying to scroll further upwards

[Allez Andruet]

The official explanation is that Citroen needs fresh experience for Sardinia, as they didn't compete there last year.

Does anyone buy that explanation? :D

[dimviii]

Molly Pettit‏*@Mollysport
I wonder if @AMikkelsenRally was getting tips from his new team mate for Sardinia @krismeeke already Saturday morning? @OfficialWRC

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DAgQzz3XgAA3eP4.jpg

[wrc2017]

Yes, Meeke crashing 3 and win 1 is a good form. He will allways have a good start order. Hope wrong but Meeke will feel the pressure of Mikkelsen :(

We know some of the reason for Meeke bad form, and it not all dirver related.

People are talking here about Mikkelson and if he is the 2nd coming, from memory he is farily accident proned.. and didnt he just wreck a Skoda?

Meeke would welcome Ogier in equal machinery, so I doubt be will be too worried how is team mate will be

[dimviii]

eWRC-results‏*@eWRCresults 2h

Challenge @AMikkelsenRally and @Rally_d_Italia 3x crash, the best in 2014, only stage win (powerstage 2014)

[Sub_Skoda]

eWRC-results‏*@eWRCresults 2h

Challenge @AMikkelsenRally and @Rally_d_Italia 3x crash, the best in 2014, only stage win (powerstage 2014)

Not the best rally in the season to launch Mikkelsen for the first time on a WRC 2017... Well done Citroën!

[AL14]

I'm glad of course, but that "one-off" kind of ruin everything... I didn't know it was that difficult to change drivers, even with ongoing contracts...

Let's see how it goes by the way, I don't expect too much speed from Andreas after only 1day testing with a new car, unless he will get soon comfortable, which I doubt.

[pantealex]

Citroen had 4 cars in Portugal and will have 4 also in Poland, Finland, Spain, Wales and Australia...

Al-Qassimi doesn´t have to drive...

[Luijbregts]

I reckon he will be fighting for the win straight away...! He is that good... Mark my words and we can discuss after the rally :-)

[Rally Power]

Best luck to Mikkelsen. It's great to have him back at the top.

[AnttiL]

Citroen had 4 cars in Portugal and will have 4 also in Poland, Finland, Spain, Wales and Australia...

Al-Qassimi doesn´t have to drive...
But he kind of pays for the others' drives...

[macebig]

I reckon he will be fighting for the win straight away...! He is that good... Mark my words and we can discuss after the rally :-)

Not happening.The C3 to fight for victories needs to be overpushed as Meeke has proven numerous times.Take it easy and bring the car home in the best position possible is the way to go.

[jparker]

Mikkelsen performance and feedback from Sardinia (and hopefully following events) will be very important for Citroen.
Poor results or DNFs will most probably confirm something is wrong with the car, and Meeke is not the only one to blame.
Good results by Mikkelsen however, will most likely mean Meeke's replacement by Ogier.

[jparker]

Not happening.The C3 to fight for victories needs to be overpushed as Meeke has proven numerous times.Take it easy and bring the car home in the best position possible is the way to go.

You may be right, but I wonder what will your conclusion be in case Mikkelsen is competitive right from the beginning?

[er88]

Mikkelsen performance and feedback from Sardinia (and hopefully following events) will be very important for Citroen.
Poor results or DNFs will most probably confirm something is wrong with the car, and Meeke is not the only one to blame.
Good results by Mikkelsen however, will most likely mean Meeke's replacement by Ogier.
Meeke and Breen are at Citroen next year. It's between Ogier and Andreas for the other seat, and the fact Andreas is now getting a drive makes me believe that the Ford return is definitely in the offing. Seb has made it clear he will only remain at Msport with full factory support from Ford....

[Luijbregts]

You may be right, but I wonder what will your conclusion be in case Mikkelsen is competitive right from the beginning?

The C3 is fast. Meeke is fast before exiting a rally. Andreas will probably be on the podium, if not even a win because of starting position on day 1.

[mknight]

I actually wonder if Hyundai regrets letting him test I20. Then again it was relatively certain that he would drive someone else's car at one point.

Also remember how Citroen didn't even want Ogier to test before signing and now they let Mikkelsen "test" for one rally possibly risking he goes elsewhere? Maybe they got some reality check that their car isn't >> everyone else.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

When Mikkelsen was desperate to get in a private 2017 Polo he said he was so used to it that it would be hard adapting to another car..

I'll be surprised if he's fastest in the C3 right away.

[macebig]

As i said earlier, the target should be 4th under normal conditions.

[GigiGalliNo1]

But that 4th is for Breen

[tomhlord]

But that 4th is for Breen

Haha, no, that's 5th!

[tomhlord]

Mikkelsen performance and feedback from Sardinia (and hopefully following events) will be very important for Citroen.
Poor results or DNFs will most probably confirm something is wrong with the car, and Meeke is not the only one to blame.
Good results by Mikkelsen however, will most likely mean Meeke's replacement by Ogier.

I agree. Imagine is Mikkelsen brakes part of the suspension or doesn't have any issues? I'd be worried for the latter if I were Meeke. Andreas is a class act.

[Sulland]

Phase 1: Hopefully Mikkelsen will achieve a good setup out of the 1 day he will test before the event, and get to understand the cars behaviour, and what drivingstyle is most effective!

Then for phase 2, the rally, drive with the inside of his head, to get km and get closer and closer to the top cars. Maybe a ss win could be the aim.
He need to make the most of it, and show logic progress.

I guess Matton does not expect him to win the rally, with so few km at full speed with the C3, bot show enough potential for Citroen to sign him for the rest of 2017.

[AnttiL]

I'm trying not to expect too much from Mikkelsen. It's a new car for him and he hasn't been driving in WRC for half a year. He's getting only one day of testing. Probably the first day is just learning the car and getting the setup right. But I hope he finishes and doesn't crash like he's done in the previous years.

[Munkvy]

Having driven the Hyundai, and the Polo, he will have the most objective view of the C3's performance... So that might be part of the reason Citroen want him, feedback on the car and setup.

And of course that will help him adapt having sampled other cars already. Good luck to him, assuming there is no reliability issues with driver or car and he builds up the speed quickly I reckon a podium is realistic.

[Lundefaret]

Andreas is going to be fast from the start, and will most probably challenge for the win, or at least Top 3.

[Tarmop]

I agree that Top3 is possible, especially when others "help", but...he was a Top 3 driver last year and now he hasn`t got so much experience.

[Luijbregts]

My thoughts exactly. A driver of his caliber will not have so much problems adapting to a new car.

[mknight]

It took Ogier 4 rallies to adapt.

[Tarmop]

Well...4x WDC had and the reason was/ is said to be low amount of testing km`s, so you can`t say that it`s so easy to get to the grips with the car (that allows you to challenge p1) immedeately.

[N.O.T]

It took Ogier 4 rallies to adapt.

he was still slower than his team mate...

british i presume ?

[er88]

Having driven the Hyundai, and the Polo, he will have the most objective view of the C3's performance... So that might be part of the reason Citroen want him, feedback on the car and setup.

And of course that will help him adapt having sampled other cars already. Good luck to him, assuming there is no reliability issues with driver or car and he builds up the speed quickly I reckon a podium is realistic.
Good point. Knowing now that their car isn't the best and they don't have any worthwhile "secrets" to hide, this is a chance for another top driver to give them unbiased feedback on the positives and negatives, and where they need to improve. He will for sure be able to compare all 3 cars.

[sollitt]

The way some are posting here, and have for some time, we would think Mikkelsen was the reincarnation of Sebastian Loeb.
He's certainly a very capable driver and should be in a WRC seat. Hopefully he'll secure a full time drive and bring some stability and consistency to Citroen's effort.
But he's no world beater. He has no history of success at Sardegna. There's no justification for any suggestion that he'll be contesting the win or even on the podium.
He may well be, but it's certainly not a given ... or even a likelihood.

[mknight]

a) I don't think he will fight for win, for all the published reasons (1 day of testing, bad history in Sardinia++), and no I don't think he is second Loeb.

but

b) The justification for any suggestions that he'll be contesting for the win is very simple he won the last WRC round he took part in, beating all the other drivers by speed only and he led it from stage 3 to finish.

[sollitt]

... he won the last WRC round he took part in, beating all the other drivers by speed only[/b] and he led it from stage 3 to finish.A very good result and well deserved. But form is temporary and he has not proven to be a consistent performer. At the end of the day he was one of a handful of drivers playing 2nd fiddle to Ogier last year over whom you could throw a blanket in terms of speed, performance etc...
If anything will prepare him for a good result in Italy it will be the time spent wringing the neck of the WRC2 car and the possibility that may transfer into speed in the top league.

[Duvel]

A very good result and well deserved. But form is temporary and he has not proven to be a consistent performer. At the end of the day he was one of a handful of drivers playing 2nd fiddle to Ogier last year over whom you could throw a blanket in terms of speed, performance etc...
If anything will prepare him for a good result in Italy it will be the time spent wringing the neck of the WRC2 car and the possibility that may transfer into speed in the top league.

Just great to see Andreas back in a WRC car. I dont think he will be battling for the victory straight away. It took some time before he was consistant top 3 driver in the `16 Polo.

Speed transfer from wrc2 car to wrc17 car could even mean crashing out also.

[JUF]

If Citroën manages to sign Mikkelsen for next year this will cause big problems for Toyota. They have to find a third driver instead of Hänninen. Maybe Mäkinen is able to convince Tänak or even Ogier (I doubt that this succeeds), but there aren't many alternatives. Another unexperienced driver like Lappi (Tidemand, Suninen, one of the Japanese guys...) would be a huge risk. So what to do for the Finnish village team?

[AnttiL]

If Citroën manages to sign Mikkelsen for next year this will cause big problems for Toyota. They have to find a third driver instead of Hänninen. Maybe Mäkinen is able to convince Tänak or even Ogier (I doubt that this succeeds), but there aren't many alternatives. Another unexperienced driver like Lappi (Tidemand, Suninen, one of the Japanese guys...) would be a huge risk. So what to do for the Finnish village team?
Evans is probably also free for next season? We don't even know how long contract Latvala (or Lappi) has.

[JUF]

Evans is probably also free for next season? Well, this could be a possibility. He is better than Hänninen for sure.


We don't even know how long contract Latvala (or Lappi) has. This is true, but I can't see them going to another team (of course that does not mean that it's totally excluded).

[SubaruNorway]

Just great to see Andreas back in a WRC car. I dont think he will be battling for the victory straight away. It took some time before he was consistant top 3 driver in the `16 Polo.

Speed transfer from wrc2 car to wrc17 car could even mean crashing out also.

A lot of people with short term memory here...
http://www.juwra.com/mikkelsen_andreas_starts.html

[AL14]

I think what some members tried to say is that Ogier himself struggled a little bit with Fiesta because of little kms of testing, the same goes for other drivers. Neuville himself said that at the beginning you are not completely used to the new grip of the car. Mikkelsen will have only one day testing. We are talking about details but at that level, even if you lose a fraction of time for each corner you end up the stage in a bad position.

Anyway Sardinia is the worst rally for road openers and on friday Mikkelsen will have a certain advantage, or also he can find the C3 surprisingly ideal let's see.

[Sulland]

Many issues for both Andreas and team to figure out in a very short time!
New man in the team, need to gel with the engineers, and they need to understand eachother - that could go fast, or take some time, depending on chemistry.

Hopefully he is part of the pet testing for all Citroen drivers, so he can talk to people, get to know softwaretools used and so on.

[Marcco]

I think what some members tried to say is that Ogier himself struggled a little bit with Fiesta ....
Or maybe Fiesta (m-sport) struggled a little bit with Ogier to get setup right? :)

[Fast Eddie WRC]

This situation reminds me of how a footballer that is out of the team always 'improves' and the struggling team would be better if he was playing...

[A FONDO]

Sardinia is a weird rally, anyone can reach the top 5 if he does a clever drive. But keeping your head down is extremely difficult sometimes.

[Kris82]

The saga is now over! Citroen gives Mikkelsen a deserved factory seat!
http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/may-2017/mikkelsen-citroen/page/4559--12-12-.html

[EstWRC]

The saga is now over! Citroen gives Mikkelsen a deserved factory seat!
http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/may-2017/mikkelsen-citroen/page/4559--12-12-.html

congratulations! you were just over a day late here!

[EstWRC]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DAp7NkcXgAAI5bB.jpg

[Watson]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DAp7NkcXgAAI5bB.jpg

Let's see if Mikkelsen is king of the rodeo and has what it takes to calm that moody beast.

[Mintexmemory]

Let's see if Mikkelsen is king of the rodeo and has what it takes to calm that moody beast.
He has certainly improved during the last 5 years but let's see if he is quicker than Meeke on what is ostensibly a level playing field from the road position aspect.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

It will be incredible if he can step into a new car, the car Meeke has developed, tested and competed in, and beat his times straight off.

[EstWRC]

He has certainly improved during the last 5 years but let's see if he is quicker than Meeke on what is ostensibly a level playing field from the road position aspect.

this is the most interesting part...we know how Mikkelsen did against Ogier and now we will find out how he is against Meeke.

[Andre Oliveira]

Sorry, i didn't know that Mikkelsen that you are talking about? What he did to Ogier?

[EstWRC]

whats your problem?

[Watson]

Sorry, i didn't know that Mikkelsen that you are talking about? What he did to Ogier?

"how he did against Ogier" as is how Mikkelsen compared to Ogier [in the Polo]

[BigWorm]

It will be incredible if he can step into a new car, the car Meeke has developed, tested and competed in, and beat his times straight off.

Incredible indeed, a car made for Meeke which he has never driven before(for what we know). I think a top-6 finish would be impressive.

[dimviii]

Incredible indeed, a car made for Meeke which he has never driven before(for what we know). I think a top-6 finish would be impressive.

Breen has top 5 finishes, and a top 6 will be impressive for Mikkelsen?

[Lundefaret]

I think Andreas will be fighting for victory to be honest.

[Rally Power]

Very high expectations around here! TBH I just hope the car has no issues and he can drive it flat out. Fingers crossed!

[er88]

It will be incredible if he can step into a new car, the car Meeke has developed, tested and competed in, and beat his times straight off.
Doubt he'll beat Meeke's times but it wouldn't surprise me if he finishes ahead of Meeke (due to Kris hitting trouble).
I also sense that there's an ever growing lynch mob developing on here, and they are all waiting to slaughter Meeke if that happens ;)

[stefanvv]

I also sense that there's an ever growing lynch mob developing on here, and they are all waiting to slaughter Meeke if that happens ;)

I see only disappointments from his fans.

[Ctesibios]

Doubt he'll beat Meeke's times but it wouldn't surprise me if he finishes ahead of Meeke (due to Kris hitting trouble).
I also sense that there's an ever growing lynch mob developing on here, and they are all waiting to slaughter Meeke if that happens ;)
Hitting trouble! LoL

[Andre Oliveira]

whats your problem?

From nowhere Mikkelsen get the super fans boost. Ogier and Latvala was better than him, and guess what.... continues like that. Mikkelsen is very good, but at same level of Tänak, Paddon, Meeke, etc etc

Keep the feet on ground

[EstWRC]

Learn your English and keep your feet on the ground.


You totally misunderstood me, read again my post

[BigWorm]

Breen has top 5 finishes, and a top 6 will be impressive for Mikkelsen?

Yes? He hasn't driven the current cars competitive yet. Expecting him to win against drivers who are in the groove and knows their cars is a tough task.

[olemann]

Andreas is a wise boy who does not think he's among the 3 on the podium so fast. He will, of course, need some time before trying something like that (and that was just one try?). I would be very happy if he takes it to the end and maybe 5 or 6 this time.

[Mintexmemory]

I said last year that I thought that if Mads had been in the Polo he would have appeared just as good as Andreas. This is going to be a wonderful Rally d'Italia to see how things work out.

[Andre Oliveira]

Learn your English and keep your feet on the ground.


You totally misunderstood me, read again my post


Ok, my bad. Sorry.

Just a bit tired of histerism about Mikkelsen

[EstWRC]

I said last year that I thought that if Mads had been in the Polo he would have appeared just as good as Andreas. This is going to be a wonderful Rally d'Italia to see how things work out.

https://media.tenor.co/images/a7017cee15b3ecf32544b6af881a2e2d/tenor.gif

[N.O.T]

https://media.tenor.co/images/a7017cee15b3ecf32544b6af881a2e2d/tenor.gif

you expected better from a british person ? LOL

small island even smaller gene pool... its normal.

[Mintexmemory]

you expected better from a british person ? LOL

small island even smaller gene pool... its normal.
At least our genepool doesn't include goat!

[skarderud]

At least our genepool doesn't include goat!
Hahaha, fantastic!:)


I think Andreas could do a good rally, if we take a look at last rallies, several drivers has been in the top before something happened so they dropped time.
If Andreas just drive "in the middle of the road" he can actually do a decent result because others don't finish without truble.

Sent fra min XP7700 via Tapatalk

[Fast Eddie WRC]

I dont think anyone is disputing Mikkelsen can get a good finishing position, as that depends as much on the others making mistakes or having car issues. he could well 'do a Breen' and bring in some good points.

But those saying he can challenge on pure speed in his first drive of a new, and new spec (2017) car, I dont think so ...

[Watson]

I dont think anyone is disputing Mikkelsen can get a good finishing position, as that depends as much on the others making mistakes or having car issues. he could well 'do a Breen' and bring in some good points.

But those saying he can challenge on pure speed in his first drive of a new, and new spec (2017) car, I dont think so ...

Amen.

[Allez Andruet]

Thank God the Italian round is just around the corner. All this "what Mikkelsen would do in a 2017-spec car" must have been one of the most ridiculous things seen in a long long time in WRC. I'd like to remind some forum members that it's Andreas Mikkelsen we're talking about. Not Sebastien Loeb. ANDREAS MIKKELSEN. And yes, I totally agree that had Östberg been given a Polo WRC for almost four full seasons, he would've outdo Mikkelsen, no doubt. And now when AM gets a C3 WRC (with a one day PET), some people are expecting him to challenge for victory... Ouch.

Mikkelsen is good and deserves a seat in WRC, don't get me wrong, but he's had quite many seasons to prove he's capable of winning events and how many times he did so in a car he knew really well?

[mmm]

Based on how amazing the Polo was in terms of suspension and how twitchy the C3 is, a reasonably possible scenario: He will be frustrated about not being able to comfortably challenge for top times, try to push it harder until the car bites back and finish the event in rally 2.
I think the chances of Mikkelsen taking it safe and driving Breen pace are quite low.

[stefanvv]

Thank God the Italian round is just around the corner. All this "what Mikkelsen would do in a 2017-spec car" must have been one of the most ridiculous things seen in a long long time in WRC. I'd like to remind some forum members that it's Andreas Mikkelsen we're talking about. Not Sebastien Loeb. ANDREAS MIKKELSEN. And yes, I totally agree that had Östberg been given a Polo WRC for almost four full seasons, he would've outdo Mikkelsen, no doubt. And now when AM gets a C3 WRC (with a one day PET), some people are expecting him to challenge for victory... Ouch.

Mikkelsen is good and deserves a seat in WRC, don't get me wrong, but he's had quite many seasons to prove he's capable of winning events and how many times he did so in a car he knew really well?

People are still waiting for the driver to dethrone Ogier, and this will be just the next disappointment.

[olemann]

Like Loeb, Ogier is unique in today's championship. I think Mikkelsen can challenge Ogier if he can handle the beast in any race and that Citroen next year could be a better candidate for the title.
But there is still the possibility that Ogier will run for Citroen next year and also Mikkelsen ;-)

[N.O.T]

At least our genepool doesn't include goat!

you have not been to wales then...

[Fast Eddie WRC]

The ancient Greek God, Pan: :D

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Pan_goat_MAN_Napoli_Inv27709_n01.jpg/800px-Pan_goat_MAN_Napoli_Inv27709_n01.jpg

[olemann]

Not abnormal that Norwegians treated people / animals so. But at that time, the north of Europe ruled (Viking Age). It's been a few centuries ago.

[car]

The ancient Greek God, Pan: :D

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Pan_goat_MAN_Napoli_Inv27709_n01.jpg/800px-Pan_goat_MAN_Napoli_Inv27709_n01.jpg


At least he looks considerate enough to give the goat a kiss... Can't imagine N.O.T. being that thoughtful.

[AnttiL]

http://www.ksml.fi/urheilu/mm-ralli/Neuville-aikoo-ly%C3%B6d%C3%A4-Latvalan-Jyv%C3%A4skyl%C3%A4ss%C3%A4/994764?pwbi=9cf86bb436b53c9c4cb6cbad424d6d03

In this Finnish interview about Neuville testing in Finland, he already mentions Mikkelsen on Citroen as one of his challengers :D

EDIT: there's also a video which is in English.

[Grundo Farb]

I don't think I will be wasting a pickem on Mikkelsen. There is a lot of hype about him but I don't think the car is up to it.

[dimviii]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DBS_qUtW0AEPiPY.jpg

[Marcco]

Thank God the Italian round is just around the corner. All this "what Mikkelsen would do in a 2017-spec car" must have been one of the most ridiculous things seen in a long long time in WRC. I'd like to remind some forum members that it's Andreas Mikkelsen we're talking about. Not Sebastien Loeb. ANDREAS MIKKELSEN. And yes, I totally agree that had Östberg been given a Polo WRC for almost four full seasons, he would've outdo Mikkelsen, no doubt. And now when AM gets a C3 WRC (with a one day PET), some people are expecting him to challenge for victory... Ouch.

Mikkelsen is good and deserves a seat in WRC, don't get me wrong, but he's had quite many seasons to prove he's capable of winning events and how many times he did so in a car he knew really well?

I don't think you are right here. I think Andreas is different caliber driver compared to Mads.

[Eli]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/129982/mikkelsen-was-anxious-before-citroen-wrc-test

[Eric]

I don't think you are right here. I think Andreas is different caliber driver compared to Mads.

Totally agree. Ostberg will never outdo Mikkelsen. I dont think we will see Ostberg on top of the podium again. Mikkelsen on the other hand, im sure he will fight for the championship along with Neuville and Ogier next season.

[Allez Andruet]

Mikkelsen on the other hand, im sure he will fight for the championship along with Neuville and Ogier next season.
Sure he will. He's been so close snatching that title in previous years.

[Eric]

Sure he will. He's been so close snatching that title in previous years.

But not as close as Ostberg... You know, the guy that is just as good as Mikkelsen :D c'mon

[Allez Andruet]

But not as close as Ostberg... You know, the guy that is just as good as Mikkelsen :D c'mon
The same guy, yes. Too bad he didn't have a Polo.

[TWRC]

The same guy, yes. Too bad he didn't have a Polo.
But he had a Citroën which was more than capable of taking podiums.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

But he had a Citroën which was more than capable of taking podiums.

A Citroen in which he finished 4th in the WDC 2015, highest placed non-VW driver.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Mikkelsen a free-agent after Rally Germany:

Mikkelsen is making his second consecutive gravel outing with Citroen in Poland this weekend, but he confirmed that the French firm had taken up an option for the German round of the series in August.

He will skip Rally Finland, where Kris Meeke returns alongside Craig Breen and Khalid Al-Qassimi, and will line up in a fourth C3 WRC alongside Meeke, Breen and Stephane Lefebvre in Germany.

“I’m really happy,” Mikkelsen told Motorsport.com. “We saw the speed this Citroen has on the asphalt stages in Corsica earlier this year and to have the chance to drive it in Germany is fantastic for me.

"We will have a good test in Germany before the rally, so it’s all good.”

That news has sparked further debate on a full-time Citroen deal for Mikkelsen, but the Norwegian’s manager Erik Veiby says no such agreement is in place and his driver would be free to drive for other teams after Germany.

[AnttiL]

Again, link: https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/mikkelsen-to-make-third-citroen-wrc-outing-in-germany-924764/

[olemann]

Norway is a lucky country, although we are a small country. We have nature, oil, the best skiers and few immigrants. We have real Norwegians such as Petter Solberg (and soon Oliver), Andreas Mikkelsen, Mads Østbeg and now Ole Christian Veiby. A small country can mark up well so long as they originate from vikiningene and have the courage ;-)

[cali]

Norway is a lucky country, although we are a small country. We have nature, oil, the best skiers and few immigrants. We have real Norwegians such as Petter Solberg (and soon Oliver), Andreas Mikkelsen, Mads Østbeg and now Ole Christian Veiby. A small country can mark up well so long as they originate from vikiningene and have the courage ;-)
I could argue a lot but it takes too much time. You have not been lately in Oslo cos otherwise this few immigrant stuff not make sense to me :D

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

[mknight]

To both of you:

Off topic and pointless posts.

[JUF]

Norway is a lucky country, although we are a small country. We have nature, oil, the best skiers and few immigrants. Well, Norway is a beautiful country, that's true. However, I can't agree with you concerning the immigrant topic. Probably that's due to the fact that you don't have much contact to any of them in your country while I have a lot in Germany. Multiculturalism is a nice thing if it works (and that's mostly the case here). But sorry, that's off topic :D.
Back to Andreas Mikkelsen: I would be very surprised if he can't find any seat next year. At least one of them should be available (Hänninen), if not even two or three (Ogier, Lefebvre..?).

[N.O.T]

You have not been lately in Oslo cos otherwise this few immigrant stuff not make sense to me :D


http://i.imgur.com/cjL1NNi.gif

[Grundo Farb]

Norway is a lucky country, although we are a small country. We have nature, oil, the best skiers and few immigrants. We have real Norwegians such as Petter Solberg (and soon Oliver), Andreas Mikkelsen, Mads Østbeg and now Ole Christian Veiby. A small country can mark up well so long as they originate from vikiningene and have the courage ;-)

Been there. Expensive, cold and full of herrings. Redeeming feature? Tucked away in a corner of Europe to itself so don't have to go there again.

p.s. Your oil is running out.

[SubaruNorway]

Been there. Expensive, cold and full of herrings. Redeeming feature? Tucked away in a corner of Europe to itself so don't have to go there again.

p.s. Your oil is running out.

I see you're from India. At least we're not so poor we have to try and scam people claiming we are from Microsoft... :laugh:

[cali]

This is getting ridiculous. Can mods please remove offtopic?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

[tommeke_B]

I see you're from India. At least we're not so poor we have to try and scam people claiming we are from Microsoft... :laugh:

I've been reading a lot of rubbish on the forum lately, but this tops it. Didn't really expect such stupid reaction from you. Anyway, all this nonsense of the last posts doesn't belong in this thread, nor anywhere else on this forum.

[Rally Power]

Yep, thread is about Mikkelsen.

Btw, why are people assuming that it’s him that doesn’t want to get fully committed with Citroen? Veiby’s words sounded much like a pressure call for Matton to make up his mind and give Mikkelsen a permanent seat, at least till the end of the season.

Matton still has 3 drivers under contract and surely he’s expecting to see how Meeke will return after the break; besides ’18 drivers market isn’t open yet (all waiting for Ogier moves) so why would he sign Mikkelsen if more capable lead drivers can become soon available?

[SubaruNorway]

I've been reading a lot of rubbish on the forum lately, but this tops it. Didn't really expect such stupid reaction from you. Anyway, all this nonsense of the last posts doesn't belong in this thread, nor anywhere else on this forum.

It's pretty depressing reading this forum these days so thought I'de cheer things up with some friendly banter. I hit the nail on the head though and you know it. ;) Move along.

[EstWRC]

what a pathetic excuse...whats so depressing here lately?


Speaking about MIkkelsen, i dont know why but i have a feeling it will be very hard for Mikkelsen to find a seat for next year too. i see Citroen his only chance.

[racerx1979]

I was thinking the same. If his results with Citroen are always at the bottom 5 he might not get a seat especially when guys like Sunninen are available.

[SubaruNorway]

what a pathetic excuse...whats so depressing here lately?


Speaking about MIkkelsen, i dont know why but i have a feeling it will be very hard for Mikkelsen to find a seat for next year too. i see Citroen his only chance.

Posts like this. The whole Mikkelsen story is getting pretty tiresome.
I see no reason as to why Toyota would not hire him? I'm sure they are smart enough to not consider his results with the Citroen when choosing drivers for next year.
Of course he's bottom 5 when he's not driving the car over the limit.

[AnttiL]

I see no reason as to why Toyota would not hire him?

Hiring Tänak. Or Ogier?

When it comes down to Suninen it's more up to whether they want a young promising talent or someone that has already won events.

[EstWRC]

Posts like this. The whole Mikkelsen story is getting pretty tiresome.
I see no reason as to why Toyota would not hire him? I'm sure they are smart enough to not consider his results with the Citroen when choosing drivers for next year.
Of course he's bottom 5 when he's not driving the car over the limit.

so, if i and others have different opinion from yours about Mikkelsen then this forum is depressing? Way to go dude.

if he had shown Meekelike pace then i would hire him if i were team principal....but being slower then Lefebvre on one of his favourite events doesnt do any good for him even when considering the car.

[mmm]

He was spoiled by VW, not faced extreme hardships for getting his career going like Paddon, Tänak, etc. Now when things finally got tough for him, he seems lost.

[SubaruNorway]

He was spoiled by VW, not faced extreme hardships for getting his career going like Paddon, Tänak, etc. Now when things finally got tough for him, he seems lost.

You don't know much about Mikkelsen do you? Look up 2009, not an experience i want to go through again.

[mknight]

Yep, thread is about Mikkelsen.
Btw, why are people assuming that it’s him that doesn’t want to get fully committed with Citroen? Veiby’s words sounded much like a pressure call for Matton to make up his mind and give Mikkelsen a permanent seat, at least till the end of the season.

Matton still has 3 drivers under contract and surely he’s expecting to see how Meeke will return after the break; besides ’18 drivers market isn’t open yet (all waiting for Ogier moves) so why would he sign Mikkelsen if more capable lead drivers can become soon available?

The statement was meant for both imo. It tells other teams he is still interested in other options and at same time puts pressure on Matton to give an offer.

As to the "market", we actually don't know anything. Could be that some drivers have already signed.

It's very unlikely we will get any knews about drivers changing teams before the end of the season (or atleast until titles are decided). Only thing we could expect announced before that is contract extensions at same team.




if he had shown Meekelike pace then i would hire him if i were team principal....but being slower then Lefebvre on one of his favourite events doesnt do any good for him even when considering the car.

He was faster than Lefebvre on pure speed, that is a fact, in very much same way as Lappi was faster than Hanninen in Portugal. Both ended behind in the overall results though for multiple reasons.



I was thinking the same. If his results with Citroen are always at the bottom 5 he might not get a seat especially when guys like Sunninen are available.

We have seen Mikkelsen vs Suninen in 3 rallies in R5 this year, Suninen was clearly a level behind. (This is not meant as criticism of Sunninen, more like a reality check to counter the hype).

-------------
ATM with the info available (see first part above), I see the options as relatively open for all 3 "free" top drivers (Ogier, Tanak, Mikkelsen). (Technically Lavala is also free)
Ogier is probably most limited in his choices cause Hyundai prbly can't afford/doesn't want him with Neuville as n1, for Toyota it might create issues if they want to keep Latvala and he might hesitate to go to Citroen due to past issues and recent C3 performance.

From manu side we have:

M-Sport - likely to loose Ogier and have 1-2 free seats if Ford doesn't come, unlikely to go full "paydrivers" (aka. 2005), when it's only the 2nd year of this car, would want at least 1 very good driver.
Toyota - very likely to drop Hanninen and would want a chance for manu title so need one that can secure good results on most events
Citroen - 2 drivers with limited experience/unsure performance (Lefevbre especially), Meeke with unstable results. Car that needs development with input from other drivers than the 3 that developed it so far. (doesn't matter if they give right feedback if engineers don't trust their experience, none of the 3 have any experience with other cars from last 4 years)
Hyundai - prbly not 100% satisfied with Sordo and Paddon, after all the point gap from Neuville is huge relative to point gap Ogier vs Tanak and they are not leading manu champ, even with probably the fastest car atm. Trying to help Paddon improve his tarmac pace, is an indicator that he is still wanted, but then they also expect that the tarmac speed really improves.

[mknight]

He was spoiled by VW, not faced extreme hardships for getting his career going like Paddon, Tänak, etc. Now when things finally got tough for him, he seems lost.

This comment only shows that you have not been following rallying during the last 8 years.

[EstWRC]

what were the reasons he was behind Lefebvre then when he was actually faster like you say?

https://www.ewrc-results.com/results/36431-orlen-rally-poland-2017/?s=139528
https://www.ewrc-results.com/leg/36431-orlen-rally-poland-2017/?leg=2
https://www.ewrc-results.com/leg/36431-orlen-rally-poland-2017/?leg=3

[mknight]

what were the reasons he was behind Lefebvre then when he was actually faster?

https://www.ewrc-results.com/results/36431-orlen-rally-poland-2017/?s=139528
https://www.ewrc-results.com/leg/36431-orlen-rally-poland-2017/?leg=2
https://www.ewrc-results.com/leg/36431-orlen-rally-poland-2017/?leg=3


Leg 1, 1:30 ish lost due to damaged suspension with his off. (note time difference is 1:10)
Leg 2, 2 off-road drives, 10-20s in total. (time difference 2.8s)
Leg 3, 20s off in "Tanak's corner" (time difference 17s)
All these are clearly documented and all are driver mistakes. So in the end Mikkelsen is slower, but to say he is "clearly behind" Lefevbre on speed does not really tell the whole story.

If you want Lappi vs Hanninen in Portugal since I used it for comparison:
Leg 1, Damaged Intercooler for Lappi, faster before
Leg, 2, Lappi faster until spin and damage in last stage

[EstWRC]

ah i see, but these are his own mistakes and no one else to blame that he lost this time?


anyway this is my last post regarding this topic...i have nothing against him and i was one of the guys here in the beginning of the year who kept yelling here that how come he doesnt have a seat and swap him with Lefebvre. Now they did that in sardinia and i was so sure he would do much better than Lefebvre even with minimal testing but for me these 2 outings have been rather disappointing.

i wish him all the best and he definitely still deserves a seat in the series.

[dimviii]

we have to remember that this performance was with fresh homologated parts to suit his driving.Really not good.

[mknight]

we have to remember that this performance was with fresh homologated parts to suit his driving.Really not good.

That were never tested on wet. Considering Citroen "didn't have good setup" for Monte and Sweden after testing for most of the year before sets things to perspective.

EDIT: Also note where Breen was (a lot due to start position on Saturday, Sunday, but Mikkelsen was starting right behind him). Compare that to Breen vs Lefevbre on the other rallies.

[dimviii]

That were never tested on wet. Considering Citroen "didn't have good setup" for Monte and Sweden after testing for most of the year before sets things to perspective.

EDIT: Also note where Breen was (a lot due to start position on Saturday, Sunday, but Mikkelsen was starting right behind him). Compare that to Breen vs Lefevbre on the other rallies.
there were dry stages as well.


https://www.ewrc.cz/images/2017/photos/orlen_rally_poland_2017/rtu__mg_8538.jpg

[AnttiL]

ATM with the info available (see first part above), I see the options as relatively open for all 3 "free" top drivers (Ogier, Tanak, Mikkelsen). (Technically Lavala is also free)
Ogier is probably most limited in his choices cause Hyundai prbly can't afford/doesn't want him with Neuville as n1, for Toyota it might create issues if they want to keep Latvala and he might hesitate to go to Citroen due to past issues and recent C3 performance.

From manu side we have:

M-Sport - likely to loose Ogier and have 1-2 free seats if Ford doesn't come, unlikely to go full "paydrivers" (aka. 2005), when it's only the 2nd year of this car, would want at least 1 very good driver.
Toyota - very likely to drop Hanninen and would want a chance for manu title so need one that can secure good results on most events
Citroen - 2 drivers with limited experience/unsure performance (Lefevbre especially), Meeke with unstable results. Car that needs development with input from other drivers than the 3 that developed it so far. (doesn't matter if they give right feedback if engineers don't trust their experience, none of the 3 have any experience with other cars from last 4 years)
Hyundai - prbly not 100% satisfied with Sordo and Paddon, after all the point gap from Neuville is huge relative to point gap Ogier vs Tanak and they are not leading manu champ, even with probably the fastest car atm. Trying to help Paddon improve his tarmac pace, is an indicator that he is still wanted, but then they also expect that the tarmac speed really improves.

The 2018 Teams thread covers this pretty well. Hyundai has contracts for all three drivers for 2018, don't see a reason why they would start making changes. Citroen has also contracts for Meeke, Breen and Lefebvre. Matton said in an interview that they can hire one guy more (could be Ogier or Mikkelsen). No one else has contracts that we know of. There's rumors of Tänak going to Toyota and that he would have a contract with M-Sport for 2018 and Toyota would have to pay penalty of that but it's just a rumor. It's been said that Lappi is a long time investment for Toyota so he's probably continuing there.

[jparker]

I think Mikkelsen was hired to help Citroen solve some of their problems. Driving for VW last year, and taking part of wrc17 development, made him very desirable choice for that job.
Because of this his main goal with Citroen has nothing to do with how fast he is.
As mentioned alreagy, he had proven how fast he is in R5.
Also, when Citroen asked him to catch Evans at PS in Poland, he almost did so, posting second fastest time, and discarding the efforts of some title contenders.

[mmm]

You don't know much about Mikkelsen do you? Look up 2009, not an experience i want to go through again.

I wrote my comment in a hurry and should have been more articulate.
I am not talking about the kind of hardships you are refering to. What I am refering to is contracts - he got them real good and real early. He has been in a very comfortable position for years (no worries of getting dropped, superior car, well paid, no lead driver pressure) and in my mind, that has not been good for his development.

[er88]

we have to remember that this performance was with fresh homologated parts to suit his driving.Really not good.
Well said mate. I still rate him highly, but his performances in Italy and Poland were for me, quite shocking. Especially when you consider the new parts he had on his car in Poland. Since when was Lefebvre a benchmark for anyone? The slowest wrc driver this year....

Mikkelsen's results probably would have been very, very similar overall had he been driving an R5 Skoda in Sardinia and Poland instead. Which obviously doesn't reflect well on Citroen or Andreas whatsoever...

[Marcco]

Well said mate. I still rate him highly, but his performances in Italy and Poland were for me, quite shocking. Especially when you consider the new parts he had on his car in Poland. Since when was Lefebvre a benchmark for anyone? The slowest wrc driver this year....

Mikkelsen's results probably would have been very, very similar overall had he been driving an R5 Skoda in Sardinia and Poland instead. Which obviously doesn't reflect well on Citroen or Andreas whatsoever...

Com'on guys! The new homologated parts is not "to suit his driving" - it is to solve C3 "handling issues" or as they say "to make car more versatile". Which means that after changed part you have a lot of development work, so don't expect instant results.
I think Andreas was hired to get some different input (from someone who has been involved in polo development!) and do some development work. That's why, I think, he had only objective - to finish the rally and he did just that.
For me, this quote sums it all up:
Andreas, after powerstage in Poland (he was 3rd): "We gave it a go. This stage is much more enjoyable with better grip. A clean stage and I'm happy to end the rally like this."

[mknight]

Well said mate. I still rate him highly, but his performances in Italy and Poland were for me, quite shocking. Especially when you consider the new parts he had on his car in Poland. Since when was Lefebvre a benchmark for anyone? The slowest wrc driver this year....



As mentioned Lefebvre was also a lot faster than Breen, exactly opposite to what has been the case on all previous outings this year. Not saying Mikkelsen's result was very good, but Lefevbre in Poland certainly wasn't the slowest wrc driver. (clearly faster than Hanninen, Evans, Ostberg and Breen).



Com'on guys! The new homologated parts is not "to suit his driving" - it is to solve C3 "handling issues" or as they say "to make car more versatile". Which means that after changed part you have a lot of development work, so don't expect instant results.
I think Andreas was hired to get some different input (from someone who has been involved in polo development!) and do some development work. That's why, I think, he had only objective - to finish the rally and he did just that.
For me, this quote sums it all up:
Andreas, after powerstage in Poland (he was 3rd): "We gave it a go. This stage is much more enjoyable with better grip. A clean stage and I'm happy to end the rally like this."

I wrote before that his result in PS was the best Citroen PS result this year. (on 8th rally of the season by a hired-in driver).

(Lefevbre was better in Monte cause he had dry stage while others had snow)


there were dry stages as well.


Yes there were dry stages on Saturday, which meant two things
a) Mikkelsen was loosing time as 2nd car on the road in the morning
and
b)got 2x 5th and 1x 3rd place in the afternoon, which is probably where we would expect him had the rally been dry the whole way
(that picture of Neuville is from his puncture on SS16, where Mikkelsen was 5th)

[dimviii]

some guys are pleased with Mikkelsens performance,but NOT with citroens performance.Strange.

[AL14]

I think this Mikkelsen issue is showing us how tight is actually the difference between perfoming well and not performing well in WRC.
Andreas Mikkelsen is one of the fastest drivers in the field. No doubts. He has won rallies and set fastest times. He is fast and consistent.

Btw I also agree there are not many excuses in what he is doing in citroen.

I think that actually a driver is not just fast or good. A driver can be the best in the universe under certain circumstances, and the worst under others. Everyone of them is different. Just look at Neuville. He was crashing all the time since one year ago. Then Hyundai changed his engineer and he has became WDC material.
Yes they also made the new i20 which should be better than other cars but how come that Paddon and Sordo are not 2nd and 3rd in the WDC ranking?

Look at Ogier. We all agree he is the best but he is struggling a lil bit with Fiesta while his teammate Tanak is doing his best season so far with the same car.
The fact is that even a little change can revolutionize the situation.

So we can continue to argue if Mikkelsen is good driver or not. Or we can analyze a little bit deeper and try to understand what is making him slower than usual with Citroen.

[er88]

As mentioned Lefebvre was also a lot faster than Breen, exactly opposite to what has been the case on all previous outings this year. Not saying Mikkelsen's result was very good, but Lefevbre in Poland certainly wasn't the slowest wrc driver. (clearly faster than Hanninen, Evans, Ostberg and Breen).




I wrote before that his result in PS was the best Citroen PS result this year. (on 8th rally of the season by a hired-in driver).

(Lefevbre was better in Monte cause he had dry stage while others had snow)



Yes there were dry stages on Saturday, which meant two things
a) Mikkelsen was loosing time as 2nd car on the road in the morning
and
b)got 2x 5th and 1x 3rd place in the afternoon, which is probably where we would expect him had the rally been dry the whole way
(that picture of Neuville is from his puncture on SS16, where Mikkelsen was 5th)

But this is what I don't get about You, unless you just don't like Meeke and love Andreas? You've been slating Meeke all season, but then in your last two or three posts above are trying to defend Andreas' performance in his so called "best rally", by saying he was marginally faster than the slowest WRC driver this season, in an older spec car? And you're looking for any excuse under the sun possible to make sense of how poor his last two rallies have been.

The reason Andreas was so far behind Lefebvre overall was because he made silly mistakes ( like Meeke this season), but you seem to think it's a reason to justify Mikkelsen's result? Yet you slate Meeke for crashing while fighting for wins? Mikkelsen was crashing and making mistakes while struggling to match Lefebvre and toddling around in 9th/10th place on both rallies in Sardinia and Poland. Suninen in his first ever WRC start smashed Andreas pace wise.

I understand people having drivers they don't like, or favour, but surely that doesn't blind people to the point where they can't see things objectively? Some of Meeke's offs this season have been his own fault, he has to take the blame for that. He's been frustrated and has pushed the car too hard in an attempt to get competitive times out of it. It's worked in Mexico, and he was on for the win in Corsica but he was stupid in other events. Funny thing is, I bet you would be the first slamming Meeke had he turned in performances like Mikkelsen has in his last two rallies. Yet here you are trying to justify two very, very poor results for the Norwegian.

[dimviii]

The reason Andreas was so far behind Lefebvre overall was because he made silly mistakes ( like Meeke this season).

exactly.

But Mikkelsen is good,while Meeke is bad.

[Sulland]

Would be good to see Meeke and Mikkelsen in same rally, in same spec car.

[jparker]

Funny thing is, I bet you would be the first slamming Meeke had he turned in performances like Mikkelsen has in his last two rallies. Yet here you are trying to justify two very, very poor results for the Norwegian.

I'm sorry, but you are the one bringing Meeke in this discusson. That's why my reply will answe it. While Meeke wants to shine, Mikkelsen is geting his job more seriously. You can continue implying Mikkelsen is not fast (and that's true), but neither him or Citroen care abot that too much at the moment. It's fare to say that for only 2 events Mikkelsen has been more valuble for the team than Meeke for half a season.
In contrast, Meeke has been focusing on his speed, and criticizing his car over and over. Yes, that's probably the case, but this is something other drivers don't usually do. They accept that they are slow, and get involved in the effort to fix this.
In short, I believe both Mikkelsen and Meeke are experienced and fast drivers, but in current situation with Citroen, it's pointless to compare and judge them.

[olemann]

Would be good to see Meeke and Mikkelsen in same rally, in same spec car.

I like both drivers and I would love to see them both in Citoren. The ewrc-results statistics show this,

Kris Meeke Starts total: 157
Number of retirements 53 (33,8)
Andreas Mikkelsen Starts total: 176
Number of retirements: 35 (19,9)

I like both drivers and I would love to see them both in Citroen.

I had a former boss who always said "statistics do not say nothing"

[AnttiL]

Would be good to see Meeke and Mikkelsen in same rally, in same spec car.

Like Sardegna?

[Grundo Farb]

In short, I believe both Mikkelsen and Meeke are experienced and fast drivers, but in current situation with Citroen, it's pointless to compare and judge them.

Good. That sums it up. So let's all stop this pointless thread.

Maybe I should start one about co-drivers and which ones deserve seats more? That would probably be more interesting than what this thread has become.

He deserved a drive, he got one and it shows just how hard it is to perform at this level. Enough...

[wrc2017]

I'm sorry, but you are the one bringing Meeke in this discusson. That's why my reply will answe it. While Meeke wants to shine, Mikkelsen is geting his job more seriously. You can continue implying Mikkelsen is not fast (and that's true), but neither him or Citroen care abot that too much at the moment. It's fare to say that for only 2 events Mikkelsen has been more valuble for the team than Meeke for half a season.
In contrast, Meeke has been focusing on his speed, and criticizing his car over and over. Yes, that's probably the case, but this is something other drivers don't usually do. They accept that they are slow, and get involved in the effort to fix this.
In short, I believe both Mikkelsen and Meeke are experienced and fast drivers, but in current situation with Citroen, it's pointless to compare and judge them.

Mikkelson is driving himself out of a job. If you seriously think his performances were worthy of a full time job offer, i doubt it. Maybe he just cant explain how he likes the car setup? He didnt need to a VW, now he is lost. I think if you ask anyone at Citroen whose input has been more valuation it would not be Mikkelson. You blame Meeke for focusing on speed, and criticising the car... Nobody would listen to Meeke, now everyone knows he was right.. a fair proportion of the blame lies with the car.... because the Handsome one was supposed to win Sardina (becasue of his road position), and finish on the podium in Poland. Meeke is also at a different stage of his career.. whereby he has 2/3 years left at top, and was promised, and the team convinced him, they had a good car, but inherently its not, well as least not versatile, while Mikkelson, even with more WRC starts, still has 10 years to hang about.

[N.O.T]

Mikkelson....Mikkelson..... Mikkelson....

Do you have some kind of mental disability ??

[wrc2017]

NOT really
Do you have some kind of mental disability ??

[seb_sh]

Nobody would listen to Meeke, now everyone knows he was right.. a fair proportion of the blame lies with the car....

I don't know where you're getting this. Most people here have agreed that the blame is split for Citroen's situation. You and a couple others keep bringing the same thing up.

Also, you're not going to be respected here if you can't be bothered to write the correct names of the drivers.

[Marcco]

I think this Mikkelsen issue is showing us how tight is actually the difference between perfoming well and not performing well in WRC.
Andreas Mikkelsen is one of the fastest drivers in the field. No doubts. He has won rallies and set fastest times. He is fast and consistent.

Btw I also agree there are not many excuses in what he is doing in citroen.

I think that actually a driver is not just fast or good. A driver can be the best in the universe under certain circumstances, and the worst under others. Everyone of them is different. Just look at Neuville. He was crashing all the time since one year ago. Then Hyundai changed his engineer and he has became WDC material.
Yes they also made the new i20 which should be better than other cars but how come that Paddon and Sordo are not 2nd and 3rd in the WDC ranking?

Look at Ogier. We all agree he is the best but he is struggling a lil bit with Fiesta while his teammate Tanak is doing his best season so far with the same car.
The fact is that even a little change can revolutionize the situation.

So we can continue to argue if Mikkelsen is good driver or not. Or we can analyze a little bit deeper and try to understand what is making him slower than usual with Citroen.

Agree 100%.

[racerx1979]

Great post from Marcco. It's what makes this year so very interesting and exciting. It's nice to see new machinery and see how everyone is evolving with the new cars and teams. Most of my friends and me included lost interest in the WRC, but this year has been extremely entertaining. I'm trying to get everyone back on board. I had a few friends who were die-hard fans at one point and had no clue about the 2017 beasts sine they went completely offline when it came to rally.

[mknight]

Mikkelsen in radio interview today, nothing new just pointing out:

- he had contract with VW until the end of 2019 (one can understand he wasn't in a hurry for results then)
- his Citroen contract ended this Sunday
- "Looking pretty good" for next year, is in talks with different manufacturers (not clear if this excludes M-sport)
- also mentions there are some new and "promising" drivers (potentially competing for seats), but says it's always like that

[EstWRC]

if the teams expand to 4 cars then i can see a place for him in any team except M-sport maybe but i highly doubt this 4 car system. i still think he will be in Citroen because Citroen need good drivers and all Hyundai drivers have contracts to the end of 2018 and Hyundai doesnt seem to be a team who dumps their drivers. Of course Toyota is also a possibility but i doubt it because they didnt take him last year.

[jparker]

I think Hyundai has no chance next year with current lineup. In such situations contract doesn't mean anything.

[AnttiL]

I think Hyundai has no chance next year with current lineup. In such situations contract doesn't mean anything.

On paper, they had the best lineup for this year with the only team where all drivers had won rallies vs. other teams had only one rally winner. I think it's more down to their technical problems than the drivers.

[jparker]

On paper, they had the best lineup for this year with the only team where all drivers had won rallies vs. other teams had only one rally winner. I think it's more down to their technical problems than the drivers.

I'm not convinced, but anyway, next year the competition will be stronger, so they have to keep that in mind.

[AnttiL]

I'm not convinced, but anyway, next year the competition will be stronger, so they have to keep that in mind.

True, the situation has changed over the season. Tänak and Lappi are now WRC winners and if you count Mikkelsen as a Citroen driver, the other teams have now two WRC winners in their cars.

[Simmi]

I think what is fantastic about the last couple of years is how the level has risen in the WRC.

All but one of the works contracted drivers have stood on a WRC podium now. In most cases on multiple occasions.

70% of the works drivers have won a rally. So what we finally have is a series that can no longer reward mediocrity. When you have established drivers (who are under contract!) that are worried about their seat - that shows some healthy competition.

[Munkvy]

I think a lot of the improvements to the WRC is because VW left... Suddenly you have a more balanced field of cars, and no-mega team line up of 3 drivers regularly capable of winning rallies in the best car.

[AnttiL]

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/mikkelsen-has-cash-to-invest-in-wrc-future/

The crucial thing is here


“I do have money to invest in my career,” he said. “But I won’t pay for a drive if I don’t see a way forward with that car or that team. I am willing to invest if there’s a future there – there must be some kind of an opening. It’s not easy to rent a car right now, so maybe we wait until next year and be ready for 2022.

He also says how Hyundai is made for Thierry Neuville and doesn't suit his style, which is the same as the Sebs' styles.

[wyler]

mmm
"I adopted my style from Sébastien Ogier and he adopted his style from Sébastien Loeb".
but ogier was definitley ok (and still is) with a car made by (and for) tanak. and tanak says in hiunday is working pretty much the same setup of neuville (Adamo said that in recent interview, they split the test work cause they're similar.) So that's a bit controversial. : )

[EstWRC]

he has to come up with some kind of reason

He just isn’t as adopting driver as Tänak, Ogier and Neuville are.

When everything clicks for him, yes he is very fast, but If things aren’t like he wants then he struggles a lot

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Hyundai & Toyota dont need his investment money so he would have to get one of their importers to help like Paddon in NZ.

Otherwise that just leaves M-Sport. If he believes in himself so strongly he has to get some kind of deal with them and prove his speed.

[AnttiL]

Hyundai & Toyota dont need his investment money

I think Mikkelsen hopes to do the same as Latvala - rent a car for some rallies to show he has the pace and to get in contact with a team who would then hire him for the following season. And renting a car is where the money is needed.

[pantealex]

he has to come up with some kind of reason

He just isn’t as adopting driver as Tänak, Ogier and Neuville are.

When everything clicks for him, yes he is very fast, but If things aren’t like he wants then he struggles a lot

How do we know that Neuville is adopting driver ?
When was last time that he was driving some other car than Hyundai i20 ?

[lankey555]

No mention of the Pirelli testing deal here??

[wyler]

How do we know that Neuville is adopting driver ?
When was last time that he was driving some other car than Hyundai i20 ?

runner up in wrc with a fiesta?

[AnttiL]

tanak says in hiunday is working pretty much the same setup of neuville (Adamo said that in recent interview, they split the test work cause they're similar.) So that's a bit controversial. : )

This is the part that I still doubt. Tänak has also hinted there's a lot of work to do with the car for him (in the recent DirtFish testing interviews (https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/inside-hyundais-incredible-test-crash-recovery/)). In addition, Ogier wasn't that dominant in the car in 2017 (won only two rallies). Throughout the season he got the new development parts first in his car.

[wyler]

This is the part that I still doubt. Tänak has also hinted there's a lot of work to do with the car for him (in the recent DirtFish testing interviews (https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/inside-hyundais-incredible-test-crash-recovery/)). In addition, Ogier wasn't that dominant in the car in 2017 (won only two rallies). Throughout the season he got the new development parts first in his car.

sure there is work to do. especially for Finland (Neuville too has never been happy with the car on fast roads...).[ i'm still thinking that hyu lacks something around power, engine or gear ratio, or whatever, but most of the time it hits the limiter 10kmph before the others]
anyway that's the same interview of this: “This is why I am happy and why everybody is happy. Thierry and Ott work so well together, it means we can split the jobs between them and get more [work] done.

“Ott is good to have because he is a guy who has a good knowledge of what he wants and how to reach it and, in the end, is in a similar way to Thierry. We have seen their direction is very similar. With one and the other you don’t have to start from scratch every time you can have a common direction.

“They trust each other what has been tested and they share many things. Ott has tested and driven different WRC cars so he knows what he wants."
that should mean a car good for tanak (similar to neu) to be undrivable to ogier (similar to mikk, as he said).

I'm just saying it is very hard to be reliable when saying something like Mikkelsen, to me, it sounds basically an excuse, coming from a driver.

From a spectator side, otherwise, it is very funny to compare the driving style and set up directions. a bit of sci-fi, building on impressions, rumors and interiew, but still funny. and great fuel for a forum! :)
btw: do ogier and loeb look so similar in style?

[AnttiL]

Another interesting point is that Mikkelsen and Loeb have both struggled with Hyundai on tarmac, but Neuville and Sordo haven't.

[AnttiL]

No mention of the Pirelli testing deal here??

Could explain where the cash comes from though...

[denkimi]

btw: do ogier and loeb look so similar in style?
Didn't looked like that to me. I always thought loeb was driving cleaner than ogier.

But then again, i have not seen them at the same age in the same car.

[wyler]

Another interesting point is that Mikkelsen and Loeb have both struggled with Hyundai on tarmac, but Neuville and Sordo haven't.

true!
maybe a long shot, but could that be, for different reasons, problems in stepping up to wrc+?

it seems to me that generally wrc+ is more suitable for dirtier drivers.

[wyler]

Didn't looked like that to me. I always thought loeb was driving cleaner than ogier.

But then again, i have not seen them at the same age in the same car.


me too!

[Fast Eddie WRC]

https://www.wrc.com/en/news/season-2020/wrc/mikkelsen-in-frame-for-pirelli-development-tests-/

[AnttiL]

true!
maybe a long shot, but could that be, for different reasons, problems in stepping up to wrc+?

it seems to me that generally wrc+ is more suitable for dirtier drivers.

there is no class called wrc+. But if you mean the 2017 cars, I don't know really. In the end the cleanest drivers have gotten the best results.

Mikkelsen and Loeb were also both fast on tarmac in the Citroen, so in that sense the theory isn't valid.

[skarderud]

It's obvious that the difference between Hyundai and citröen is quite big, specialy on tarmac.

Neighter Loeb or Mikkelsen has suddenly become bad tarmacdrivers, or gravel for that sake.

Sent fra min SM-G950F via Tapatalk

[wyler]

there is no class called wrc+. But if you mean the 2017 cars, I don't know really. In the end the cleanest drivers have gotten the best results.

Mikkelsen and Loeb were also both fast on tarmac in the Citroen, so in that sense the theory isn't valid.

yeah, i know + isn't the real name, but everyone gets it as a nickname!

true, but then ogier found it undrivable coming from other '17 spec :) cars, while mikk and loeb were at their first contact. lots of people said
c3 philosophy was very different from other '17 specs wrc. maybe c3 was "loeb oriented" as a development of a winning car philosophy they had for a long time. but whit new specs that philosophy have been surpassed in favor of a dirtier driving flavor (with more powerful cars, the first time we saw them live, everybody said they were way more sideways than previous ones. neu, tanak, evans immediately benefitted)

other data to add in the equation!!

[AnttiL]

Something happened in the C3 development in 2018 which compromised the tarmac pace but made it better on gravel. But there's not many months between Loeb winning Catalunya 2018 and Ogier struggling in Corsica 2019...

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Pirelli rumoured to be using a C3 WRC for their testing...

[dimviii]

Didn't looked like that to me. I always thought loeb was driving cleaner than ogier.

But then again, i have not seen them at the same age in the same car.

+1 Ogier was more impressive more sideways,more sliding,Loeb was cleaner and more straight at his driving.
Of course Mikkelsen has totally different style from them.Reminds me Latvalas style.

[cali]

+1 Ogier was more impressive more sideways,more sliding,Loeb was cleaner and more straight at his driving.
Of course Mikkelsen has totally different style from them.Reminds me Latvalas style.Actually Loeb's style was the most impressive - I still don't understand how he could be so fast and so straight at the same time.

Sent from my GM1913 using Tapatalk

[AnttiL]

Actually Loeb's style was the most impressive - I still don't understand how he could be so fast and so straight at the same time.


Sideways equals slow in today's rallying.

[cali]

Sideways equals slow in today's rallying.That's what I was telling. It's more easy to push for the time and the car starts to go sideways. It's actually an art to keep the car straight and being ultra fast at the same time

Sent from my GM1913 using Tapatalk

[Franky]

yeah, i know + isn't the real name, but everyone gets it as a nickname!

Not really. The first thing that comes to my mind seeing WRC+ is the online service provided by the WRC Promoter on wrc.com.

[wyler]

Not really. The first thing that comes to my mind seeing WRC+ is the online service provided by the WRC Promoter on wrc.com.

my fault! maybe it is an italian media thing!!

[wyler]

Sideways equals slow in today's rallying.


totally agree till 2016.
not sure about '17 specs. seen it live, exactly same place, same drivers, totally different behavior. to me, it looks like new wrcs allow to mantain corner speed even sliding, but its just a spectator impression.

[AnttiL]

my fault! maybe it is an italian media thing!!

I've seen it before in Italian media as well.

[the sniper]

Sideways equals slow in today's rallying.

If I had to name one name of being visibly guilty of that, it's Mikkelsen. Particularly in the i20. I don't know if that's his natural style or he's doing it to adapt to the car (though I imagine the former, having been watching some 2016 Polo '17 test videos lately), but on the last two Rally GBs I've seen him on (not so much in Finland), you could trust him to be more sideways and spectacular than even silliest bloke in a Mk2 Escort. Great entertainment, but couldn't be the quickest way round.

EDIT: Just to add, I've always thought that the '17 WRC regs should have been called 'WRC+', as there's such a difference between the pre and post 2017 cars. If nothing else, it'd have helped differentiate the two in 2017, and would probably be useful again in future if/when the 2017 cars are entered in national rallies. They're a substantially different class, so could do with something other than the cumbersome '2017' tag.

[AnttiL]

EDIT: Just to add, I've always thought that the '17 WRC regs should have been called 'WRC+', as there's such a difference between the pre and post 2017 cars. If nothing else, it'd have helped differentiate the two in 2017, and would probably be useful again in future if/when the 2017 cars are entered in national rallies. They're a substantially different class, so could do with something other than the cumbersome '2017' tag.

I agree there should be some way to distinguish the three generations of WRC, but making up your own is not the way to go.

Remember, there were also the 2.0 WRC's before 2011 and they don't have a separate class name either.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

TBH it's not much of an issue (and probably wont be in the future) as hardly any privateers have or will be able afford to run a '2017 Car'.

If its a World Rally Championship event it will be the latest spec car, if its a National event a 'WRC Car' will be 99% a 2016 or earlier.

[AnttiL]

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/pirelli-announces-mikkelsen-and-reveals-test-livery/

Mikkelsen got the Pirelli test job with the Citroen

[Fast Eddie WRC]

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/pirelli-announces-mikkelsen-and-reveals-test-livery/

Mikkelsen got the Pirelli test job with the Citroen

Nice livery ! Will be good to see the C3 WRC running again.

[wyler]

question:

knowing the average level of the c3 in comparison to the others, is this a good chioce for test and development of the new tires?

[rallyfiend]

question:

knowing the average level of the c3 in comparison to the others, is this a good chioce for test and development of the new tires?

If everyone is on the same tyre, does it really matter?

You don’t need an outright speed / performance tyre

[AnttiL]

It will still do the job. It's not that far from the other cars in performance after all, it's not like they would be using an R5 car or an old generation WRC car. Remember, this car still won rallies last year.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Colin Clark @voiceofrally

It doesn’t have to be competitive - just consistent with a comparable level of performance.

[steve.mandzij]

It will still do the job. It's not that far from the other cars in performance after all, it's not like they would be using an R5 car or an old generation WRC car. Remember, this car still won rallies last year.It wasn't a bad car by any means, at least in certain conditions. The only issue which made it uncompetitive was how tough it was to drive and wring out the most from it.

[mknight]

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/pirelli-announces-mikkelsen-and-reveals-test-livery/

Mikkelsen got the Pirelli test job with the Citroen

All the other candidates had a big issue or two associated with them:

Meeke - the way he was kicked from Citroen for "being a danger to himself and others" as they put it, probably made Citroen say no. C3 development also didn't come out as positive for him.
Latvala -only drove Toyota and is still pretty much associated with them (promised free drive after Sweden, likely to buy himself one or two each year)
Paddon - only drove Hyundai in competition, still very much associated with them on NZ and maybe most imporant...lives in NZ, any kind of travel from there is not to be relied on at the moment.

[AnttiL]

Were they actually candidates or was that just a media assumption? Mikkelsen was working with Pirelli already last year.

[AnttiL]

https://www.autohebdo.fr/wrc/actualites/mikkelsen-apparaitre-comme-la-meilleure-solution-pour-remplacer-ogier-213695.html

Mikkelsen is hoping to be the best choice after Sebastien Ogier quits at Toyota. He is planning on showing his skills in the 2021 season. One option is the Sainteloc C3 WRC but he's not confident about its performance with the team not developingn it. He has the same concerns about the performance of the Fiesta, thus he's looking at Toyota and Hyundai for one-off rallies.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

He might take Ogier's empty seat in 2022 but he wont 'replace Ogier' for Toyota when they already have Evans and Rövanpera.

[Rallyper]

He won´t even get that seat in Toyota, I reccon.

If not Solberg, it´ll be someone else but Mikkelsen...

[pantealex]

He won´t even get that seat in Toyota, I reccon.

If not Solberg, it´ll be someone else but Mikkelsen...

Breen ?

[AnttiL]

Will Tänak and Neuville be also on the market for 2022?