Solberg testing the 2022 Rally1 Hyundai today suggests he will be in the car next year and maybe full time (Sordo is in Azores Rally at the same time).
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Solberg testing the 2022 Rally1 Hyundai today suggests he will be in the car next year and maybe full time (Sordo is in Azores Rally at the same time).
Think Solberg is getting this drive fulltime....
Wuorela has some great rumors about Tänak https://twitter.com/miikawuorela/sta...389923840?s=21
Well that would definitely be a bomb...
But Jarveoja was just interview on Dirtfish about how it is to sit in the new car.
frankly terrible news... at the very least it's going to be a very tough debut seasonQuote:
Originally Posted by er88
Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
I like how he says he already predicted it two years ago. Lol
I want some of that stuff he is smoking lately
Breen and Tänak in Ford then.. right :D
I believe he will test tomorrow..
Tänak was in Estonia, doing some promo event for Hyundai with new i20N..
He actually tweeted this 2 years ago. Maybe he defended his prediction tweet or smth but recent times Wuorela hasn't been really on his best formQuote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
Sent from my GM1913 using Tapatalk
Let's hope not.Quote:
Originally Posted by er88
Let's hope they keep the pay/namedrivers to f1, we don't need Schumacher juniors in the wrc.
Well we just talked about Solberg needing to drive one car to get stable... the current plans:
- test hybrid
- test and drive Rally2 in Finland
- test and drive current WRC in Spain before it's retired one rally later
-?
For sure it can get even more crazy, like sending him to an ERC round with the old R5 on MRFs...just wait.
because rallying is free and nobody doesn't have to pay to drive right?Quote:
Originally Posted by denkimi
Everybody has paid in some stage of their career to get a seat.
What about Mick Schumacher? He should win in that pos Haas?
Without payimg we wouldn't have:
Greensmith
Fourmaux
Katsuta
Loubet
Solberg
Gryazin
Lappi (this year)
etc
Maybe an on off in USA in a Subaru? :DQuote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Kristian Sohlberg said something about Solberg's co-driver change in his twitch stream a couple of days ago. Something like "I know more about this switch than there's on social media but I cannot say...let's just say that Aaron has a bright future ahead".
Could be an Adamo-led "decision" to strongly advise Solberg to change and go for more experience (especially if Oliver is running in the main team next year).Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
Adamo’s quote is quite strange because in Finland, neither Sordo nor Solberg will drive in RC1. So except if Breen is still in the mix, I don’t see what new element from now he would have with Finland...
Catalunya would sound more logical as both Sordo and Solberg will be there in RC1 (Monza is too late, we have seen on the last 5 years that you cannot save/obtain generally a seat for next year with a good performance in the last Rallye mid-november such as Mikkelsen in 2016 / Ostberg and Paddon in 2018)
Personnally, even if I think it is a bad idea (especially because comparing him with Rovanpera is quite wrong if we look at their respective RC2 results), the fact that Solberg has tested the hybrid car (+ makes a WRC drive in a tarmac rally) lets me think it is yet decided with a full-time drive for Solberg. But at least, for the first time, we could recognize that Hyundai take a real risk on a young driver (even if I’m worried it is more on his name than on his level).
I just leave it here, seems correct thread:
https://twitter.com/HartusvuoriWRC/s...80735125979140
(sorry, duplicate)
Doctor, you have been here allready.
Maybe it's not so crazy Solberg testing the Hyundai i20 hybrid as he has experience of 500+ bhp (in RX cars, also without the current WRC car downforce).
The current top WRC drivers may find it harder to adapt after 5 years than he does.
Kristian Sohlberg also said in his twitch stream that Renaud Jamoul made the call to quit co-driving for Fourmaux. Sohlberg thinks Lappi won't have the latest spec Yaris in Rally Finland. He also believes Suninen will do also Monza in a Hyundai Rally2 and continue there next year, and eventually start an event in their Rally1 car. He said Suninen was treated horribly at M-Sport, and the car was by no means competitive.
Lappi didn't have this years front aero (with different front fienders) on the test, how much difference there is underneath I don't know.
Well Gryazins pace in Rally2 Fiesta was quite some shock considering Suninen was level with Lappi for 1/3 of Portugal in similar conditions.
Which again makes one wonder why Breen (or anyone else who has a choice) should be very keen to go to MSport next year and automatically assume the car will be competetive.
Lappi in similar situation clearly seems to prefer part time at Toyota over trying full time at MSport.
Because Lappi would have to pay in m-sport, thats the reason he doesnt want to go there....he said this last year or beginning of this year in one interview
For me its clear what Sordo says in that interview, part time in Hyundai again and i guess sharing the car with Oliver then and maybe also with Suninen.
Sohlberg also mentioned this in the stream, as a defense to Suninen. He also described the Fiesta Rally2 to have been incomplete when it was homologated, and not much development have been done.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
This year yes.Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
2022 I doubt MSport can/will have only paydrivers, for example Breen seemingly has no money.
Yes, it's assumed that M-Sport is looking for a driver capable of winning rallies and the team would be paying salary for that. But many things hint that Breen has a done deal, for example latest episode of Absolute Rally.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
However, I can only assume Lappi has negotiated with M-Sport and Breen with Toyota as well. I would imagine Breen wants full season at all costs, while Lappi could be satisfied with a partial season at Toyota (for getting to spend more time with the family, also through doing test work in Finland)
Breen wants & needs a full season for his high ambitions to get to the top. And M-Sport will only pay for a driver with a good recent WRC record and a serious aim to win rallies. They are therefore an ideal match.
Suninen has had his chances to impress and clearly hasnt for too long. If he gets a any kind of paid 2022 Rally1 drives with Hyundai he'll be very lucky.
Last year Lappi was in pretty much exactly same situation (except MSport didn't pay cause he still had salary from Citroen).Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
That "ideal match" didn't end well for either side.
Like Breen, Lappi had no other choice if he wanted a (full-time) drive.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
And like Lappi Breen will be getting paid, so wont be losing anything.
Actually the nearest comparison is when Ogier joined M-Sport with a new generation car in '17 .... and that did work out rather well.
Ogier in 2016 - 4 times world champion with 38 rally wins that said no to (allegedly) 10 mil euro offer from Toyota cause he didn't like the car on test and just tested the Fiesta and found it decent compared with the 2017 Polo that he spend 6+months testing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Breen in 2021 - 5 times podium finisher (in 5 years) that does 4 WRC rallies a year and hasn't driven a single 2022 car and (likely) signed without ever testing the car.
Really close comparison that ;)
2020 and 2022 are completely different situations for M-Sport.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
Basically Lappi was a pay driver in 2020, bringing his Citroen money. And when that money ran out, he couldn't continue for 2021. In 2020 Fiesta was lacking behind in development and M-Sport was likely just waiting for the new era to begin.
But in 2022, they want to be back at winning rallies, if not titles, and they are ready to put money in a driver who can deliver.
I am sure you are also seeing the very mixed communication from them.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
On one hand we get what you described saying they want a top driver and 3 cars to be able to fight in manu champs.
Then they fail to hire any of last years rally winners (did they even try or was that just PR talk?). And lately we get extensive interviews on how Greensmith has shown he is on "WRC level" and last days a story on how Fourmaux and Greensmith are on same level.
So PR talk for sponsors is one thing, real actions are something else. Worst case they enter next season with Breen, Fourmaux and Greensmith and a meh car that maybe manages 2-3 podiums. (basically 2019 style).
Neither Greensmith nor Fourmaux can be expected to beat any of Rovanpera/Evans/Ogier/Lappi/Neuville/Tanak/Sordo on speed in 2022. How many rallies can Breen be expected to beat (almost) all of them? 3 maybe? (SWE, FIN, EST, no Ypres next year), maybe fewer without road position advantage. That's in my eyes a long way from the announced ambition levels.
Emphasis added. Wanting is easy but it gets you only so far. Does M-Sport have resources to be competitive in 2022 and fulfil those wants? I fear not. If Breen goes with them for full-time drive, he is either blinded by his own ambition or knows something we do not know.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
To me it seems the communication changed after Tänak and Neuville signed their contracts. After that they ditched talks of titles and instead started talking positive about Fourmaux and Greensmith, because it was their reality.Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
It's good to remember all three teams will have completely new cars. The balance between them could be anything. We cannot assume Toyota is as dominant as it is now, we cannot assume Hyundai being as good as it was in early 2017, we cannot assume M-Sport being as bad as they are now. It will all be a surprise.Quote:
So PR talk for sponsors is one thing, real actions are something else. Worst case they enter next season with Breen, Fourmaux and Greensmith and a meh car that maybe manages 2-3 podiums. (basically 2019 style).
Neither Greensmith nor Fourmaux can be expected to beat any of Rovanpera/Evans/Ogier/Lappi/Neuville/Tanak/Sordo on speed in 2022. How many rallies can Breen be expected to beat (almost) all of them? 3 maybe? (SWE, FIN, EST, no Ypres next year), maybe fewer without road position advantage. That's in my eyes a long way from the announced ambition levels.
And another thing to mix in is how the drivers will adapt to the new driving style of the new cars, which will be different to the WRC cars and different to R5's. And things like Hyundai on tarmac on other drivers than Neuville...likely that will all change.
There is a huge gap from say Evans, Breen and Forumaux team to Breen, Fourmaux, Greensmith.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
If they really had the money (and not just PR talk) there are at least 5 available drivers better than Greensmith.
Yes the balance between teams can change, but in MSports case to suceed both the car and 2/3 drivers have to massively improve to even be competetive.
But would that win against Neuville-Tänak or Ogier/Lappi-Rovanperä? (assuming cars are equal)Quote:
Originally Posted by mknight
They've effectively spent the best part of 2years off in the WRC. Treading water with little to no development and a lack of testing, while taking money off pay drivers like Greensmith or drivers with sponsorship like Fourmaux. They started work on the Puma early in lockdown, and have had the car running early and testing a lot (and it does pass the eye test - I know, not always accurate). I'd be surprised if Msport DON'T have a car capable of challenging the Yaris or I20, it can't be worse than the current Fiesta which has fallen so far behind on development.Quote:
Originally Posted by jonkka
I don't agree with some that somehow Msport will build a better car than Toyota or Hyundai, but that's different from being competitive. Why on earth wouldn't Breen jump at the chance of a full season with them? Hyundai can't/ won't offer him a full season so it's a no brainer. Especially if it's a two year deal and he is being paid. He needs full seasons now and deserves the chance other drivers have had.
I believe M-Sport is able to make a winning car, as they've managed earlier with new regulations. Just because they've lagged behind 2-3 years doesn't mean they don't put in proper effort for the new car. And like I said earlier, the tables turn here, everyone gets a new car so it's an equal starting point.
If MSport had 2-3 competetive drives they have 2-3 times bigger chance than if they only have Breen.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnttiL
If they are/were serious and not just PR talk that is.
---
Similarly for Breen it's a big risk to go to MSport (and even more so if he is the only competetive driver).
Just look at Tanak, going to manu champ winners as the fastest driver and world champion. Now he is the last full time manu driver! MSport is now a semi-manu underfunded team with terrible recent results even with decent drivers (Suninen Lappi).
We dunno what is/was possible at Hyundai. Especially if Adamo leaves...
but at Toyota Latvala now says Ogier will do 4 rounds. 7? rounds sound much better that full season at MSport to me. If say Breen beat Lappi in Finland.
Breen is not a rally winner.
I would prefer Lappi, Mikkelsen, Sordo, Meeke,… and then Breen.
The hater boner towards Ford and M Sport is off the charts... WRC as we know it will be dead in 2 years if they quit... Albeit, a R5 based, European centered WRC ala WTCR won't be worse than the current situation.
My (potential) problem with Msport is there's middle ground between signing one of the big 4 drivers, plus Breen & having Fourmaux as 3rd driver, to having a lineup like Breen/ Fourmaux/Greensmith (which is probably what it's going to be).
Fourmaux should be the 3rd driver, have Breen as your main man and try to help him fulfill his potential, but any other driver than Greensmith is better. Mikkelsen could get a full season, they could've signed up Lappi or Andreas early this year and let them share the testing load with Fourmaux (rather than having Matt Wilson do it). If not Mikkelsen or Lappi, they could've fully trusted Suninen, or they could even go down the PR route of bringing oldies like Loeb/ Meeke etc back to do a few events each for extra publicity and some good stages times/results. Even someone like Paddon has been completely forgotten about (although that's understandable when he's the other side of the world).
Would be very underwhelming if Greensmith is in the main team for the full season. He will pay for a car anyway, just give him a 4th one. Mikkelsen would drive for free more or less at this rate (although even he has mentioned in the past he has some budget to help if needed). There are drivers around that can still make up a nice/ interesting team at Msport next year.