I think Loeb was strongly rumored to do 3-4 events in 2019. If Qassimi does 4 that leaves 6-7 events for someone else. Maybe Ostberg...
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I think Loeb was strongly rumored to do 3-4 events in 2019. If Qassimi does 4 that leaves 6-7 events for someone else. Maybe Ostberg...
Oh please don’t read into my translations. I think ”same kind” or ”same spec” is a better translation for ”samanlainen”Quote:
Originally Posted by deephouse
I keep reading this. But where did it actually come from? Daniel Elena said himself they were done at WRC level. And having Ogier and Lappi at Citroen completely removes the PR-driven need to put Loeb in the car. It would also invite direct comparisons between Ogier and Loeb in the same car. I'm not sure if I was Citroen that I'd want any part of that sideshow to be honest. Just feels unnecessary.Quote:
Originally Posted by racerx1979
Funded drives from Al Qassimi and Ostberg would appear more logical - as gutted as I am for Craig.
Thank you.Quote:
Originally Posted by rallyfiend
Breen needs to get another seat elsewhere. Hyundai or M-Sport, he will be better treated there.
He already has a seat in M-Sport.Quote:
Originally Posted by deephouse
How is Tanak carrying Toyota NOT?
Struggle to understand what Citroen are all about. They've been a bit of an embarrassment for years since they announced they'd re-join the WRC. Ogier has talked about how the team has been doing things by half measure for years, yet still there's an element of truth in that if they only run a two car team. Lappi might struggle badly and then they've got no insurance policy like Breen or Ostberg there to score points.
Dont get me wrong, it's great they've finally decided to invest some money in 2/3s of a proper driver line-up, but are they just not that bothered about the manufacturers championship? And surely Ogier would want another strong-ish team mate considering how well Tanak and Evans helped him last year by taking pts off his rivals for the title - compared to this year where Evans has been terrible and Suninen is in development.
Once again they're scrounging off Abu Dhabi or waiting to see if Ostberg can come with a big budget. They're not the private team, it's Msport who should be the ones really needing help like that. And it's Malcolm who needs it now more than ever, considering Red Bull have followed Ogier to Citroen too. Breen and Paddon aren't going to bring big budgets if they go to Msport, Evans has little to no budget, and Ostberg will only work with Malcolm again if he has to.
as you read Jacksons today tweet about Lappi,you will stop have all these doubts (your doubts are valid)Quote:
Originally Posted by er88
Lappi is born 1991, Breen 1990. Neither are exactly young (in this context) nor lacking experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sal the 2nd
Breen was in the wrong team. He couldn't progress as much as the finn.
Wrong. Without Tanak, latvala would've won in Turkey.Quote:
Originally Posted by AMSS
Wrong again. WITH Tanak we have 3 way battle (it's hard for him but it's still possible). Hope M-Sport find another driver that challenge next year for that also and that it will be even closer fights...
I think hiring a 5-time champ together with a proven rally winner is quite understandable move. And getting Ogier onboard has probably automatically meant that the line-up will be two cars only. And securing the services of Ogier has also secured the future of the team. So all in all Citroen did pretty well this silly season.Quote:
Originally Posted by er88
Can't help but think M-Sport are now in a downward spiral towards little car development and purely pay drivers, once again. A shame. Reminds me of a few years back, 2011 and 2012 winning rallies with some Ford backing and a promising new car (akin to '17 and '18, although not as much Ford $$$), 2013 bringing some promising talent to podiums (could be Breen and Paddon in '19), '14, '15, '16 not much to write home about.
Well Msport is first and foremost a business, not a money-sink PR venture like Toyota or Hyundai.
That said they did "paydrivers and no development" also in 2005 and then the 2006 car was very good. Lately you could also say the same about 2016 before 2017.
That's all well and good and I'm glad about that, it's a positive step but it's still not a full team yet. They've not really had that since they returned to the sport. Really hope they can run a 3rd car regularly even if it is just Ostberg bringing budget.Quote:
Originally Posted by Allez Andruet
Hard to disagree with this; I can't understand why Ford won't come in with full backing, or why M-Sport have proved incapable of finding a title sponsor. Maybe they don't have a title sponsor because they don't have full manufacturer backing, or maybe they don't have full manufacturer backing because they don't have a title sponsor......Quote:
Originally Posted by tomhlord
It's a quite a gamble by Toyota. They have effectively swapped 4th in the WDC Lappi for a Citroen driver... and chose the old, fast but crash-prone Meeke over the young solid-scoring Breen.
Breen as a like-for-like swap for Lappi would've been the obvious move. And Meeke to M-Sport would've brought them a potential winner.
Makinen must have his reasons so we'll have to see what he says and then how it turns out.
M-Sport now how very limited options of who is available and who they could even want, so as to make continuing really worthwhile.
Meeke to M-Sport could`ve been too much too handle, financially.
Sure it's a gamble. But since they have the money and 2 other "reliable" drivers (I put it in " " cause of Latvala), it's not such a big one. As Tommi said it will definitely give PR for both wins and crashes.
Imo the most "risky" part is that they prbly alienated Lappi, which could turn into a Ogier-Citroen kind of situation. When Lappi would not really want to go back to Toyota in 3-5 years even when it's the most logical option like Ogier did with Citroen before 2017 and 2018.
https://www.is.fi/ralli/art-2000005867366.html
Interview with Lappi about the Citroen move. I don't know, maybe I read too much into it, but it's not exactly a compliment towards Mäkinen when Lappi says that "Citroen wanted me there ... the interest the team principal has shown towards me is motivating".
And it also becomes clear that moneywise Toyota couldn't (or didn't want to) match the offer Citroen had made.
A super funny question I saw on Toyotas FB regarding Meekes signing
"are you putting the livery upside down on his car so the sponsor logos can be read?" ;)
Hope he didn't get a multi year contract like Mikkelsen...
Meeke has one year contract at Toyota
Lappi has two year contract at Citroen
Two year contract is normal (lots of unexpected things can happen... like you know, leading 2 rallies when the car stops working by itself ;) )
One year contract is super-risky for the driver (for the reason listed above) and team would do it only if they weren't really sure about the driver, like Toyota did with Latvala last year.
Looks like it won't be such "no pressure" drive for Meeke in the end.
So Mäkinen hasn't lost all of his brain cells. Good.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
In the unlikely case he might finally do a Tänak and stop crashing, they can extend and in the very likely case that he will ruin their budget too, they can sack him for good and we can get some young talent that actually deserve to be there.
@MadsOstberg
“A pessimist sees the difficulty*in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”*
- W. Churchill #WRC #fightingviking #SillySeason
📸 Tim Preston https://t.co/DH10Q28uAN
often $$$$ creates opperunities..Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
I smirk. Meeke takes the seat that Breen, Otsberg, Sordo, Paddon, Evans would give their manhood for.
bitter little man. what u going to say when Ogier or Lappi starts chucking the C3 into the scenery trying to screw a stage time out of it?Quote:
Originally Posted by itix
why? He had no contract a month ago. getting paid to driver a rally car. where is the pressure coming from?Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
IF he is paid (much)..and if he accepts that this could be his last season, then yeah, no pressure. But if he wants to have a job in 2020 or not to be sacked in 2019 then he cant`t crash and has to be minimally no.2 in Toyota.
And stop your nonsense about how bad the C3 is, it isn`t, proved by all who have driven it. It`s mostly about the drivers and bad managment. If you take away current top 3, who can perform constantly well on every round, then you could say that all the cars are bad. Without
you really bother replying to him?
he sees all the fault in others but none in Meeke.
its getting really ridiculous, actually it was already but he has gone even beyond
possible... the trolls are looking for a missing sticker on the wind shieldQuote:
Originally Posted by Tarmop
but maybe little amuses the simple.
Get your quotes right! BTW, google trolling....you are setting book sample.
And it is missing on some photos and is there on some. Could be nothing, could be the reason, on the picture there`s a cracked all live windscreen..
nonsense.. will see. citroen used meeke as a scapegoat. but they can't do that anymore with Ogier there. it will be interesting.. that's for sureQuote:
Originally Posted by Tarmop
It's OSTBERG for christ sake. Smirk less if that causes it.Quote:
Originally Posted by wrc2017
nothing I say is wrong. I specialise in truth. others just take a little longer to compute..Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
the truth passes through three stages.
first, it is ridiculed.
second, it is violently opposed.
third, it is accepted as being self-evident
lol.. I love winding you lot up!Quote:
Originally Posted by Allez Andruet
Indeed.Quote:
Originally Posted by wrc2017
Quote:
Originally Posted by wrc2017