M-Sport Ford World Rally Teams

Mikkelsen dont wan't to pay. He is at a really good place at Škoda motorsport, a relationship lasting from 2011.
He is of course interested to drive Rally1, but not paying for it. But he needs to have a car that actually turn in in the corners, not to use the handbrake in 6th corners...

Quite interesting that in an intervju in a Norwegian rally-podcast the swedish rallyexpert and wrc-commentator Jonas Kruse don't understand why Mikkelsen don't get a chance to drive one of them, if a team needs a fast and realible second driver like Sordo, he should be first choice.
Hyundai was close last year, but what on earth happend there?

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Originally Posted by TypeR

Then enjoy driving Skoda rally2 :D
I would think that during 2022-23 seasons, he should have driven the big car at least once.. to show what he is capable of.
if Huttunen could get a budget for one rally(car had problems tho).. then Mikkelsen would also be able to get it.
It is just the attitude(I think).
Maybe he just waits for Toyota or Hyundai to offer him 5mil/year contract :D

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Just tasteless.

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Originally Posted by WRCStan

Just tasteless.

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Less salt is healthier.

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Originally Posted by TypeR

Then enjoy driving Skoda rally2 :D
I would think that during 2022-23 seasons, he should have driven the big car at least once.. to show what he is capable of.
if Huttunen could get a budget for one rally(car had problems tho).. then Mikkelsen would also be able to get it.
It is just the attitude(I think).
Maybe he just waits for Toyota or Hyundai to offer him 5mil/year contract :D

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I think he knows well his opportunities and possibilities. Did Huttunen achieved anything extra with this (attempt) to drive? It's all about money/resources you have or are available for you. If Mikkelsen (or whoever else) should have hills of money available for them, for sure they could drive Rally1 car.

I don't know the reason, why teams are not (publicly) interested to hire Mikkelsen. First, he did not show clear pure-speed talent. Additionally, maybe it's from Hyundai times "I'm still learning the car", maybe he puts the blame on others (rightfully or not), whatever it is - as a rally-fan and spectators, I could welcome any extra driver with Rally1 car, but this is a way bigger and philosophical topic, why there are only few seats available.

To conclude that - he really can enjoy driving Skoda Rally2 and take challenges there. Nothing bad with that.

im with TypeR in the sense that he should pay and make 1-2 outings in rally1 car to show himself, has hasnt driven this generation car at all.

i would really like to see him in rally1 class, especially after Munsters outings in rally1 car who was average or even below average in rally2 class.

But his tactics just to sit and wait if someone offers a seat is a puzzle to me. sometimes you have to take two steps back to go forward.

On the podcast he basically said he thought he'd proven his speed and consistency enough in Rally2 machinery, winning numerous rallies and WRC2 & ERC titles, and that should be enough. He also implied that there was no sponsorship funding for a Rally1 drive available to him, maybe not even for a single rally.

Didn't mikkelsen tried suing Hyundai at one point?

I think Mikkelsen is the biggest loser from VW retiring before 2017. He was on an ascending path and while I doubt the end of that ascension is at a championship challenger level he maybe could have be a regular podium contender, maybe occasional winner, something like Evans maybe. He had 3 podiums in 2019 with Hyundai but after that he was probably the loser because of WRC having few top level seats. And last year unfortunately for him he had to compete for those few seats with a lot of more appealing drivers and it's hard to make a case of who should be dropped. Hyundai won't take him over Neuville, and they preferred Lappi I think because of his Toyota knowledge, maybe for the 3rd car but they probably considered that a shared car would take more advantage of road position, plus the Sordo/Breen combination worked well in the past. Then at Toyota surely you don't take him over Rovanpera, Evans or Ogier and Katsuta is there for other reasons so his place is not really on the market. Finally MSport I'm not sure how many cars they can field of their own budget, feels like 1 or 1 and half, and they got Tanak. Now if MSport had budget for 3 cars you would think Mikkelsen would find a place somehow, either at MSport or to replace someone that MSport managed to get from the other teams. So I think either he gets money to buy a seat or WRC gets healthyer, I don't think it's a lack of him being seen but rather a lack of place for him because of slightly better options on the market for the very few "real" seats available.

How many of you pay multi-national brands in billion-dollar industries to work for them? I just don't understand why anyone thinks he has an attitude problem.

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Originally Posted by seb_sh

Finally MSport I'm not sure how many cars they can field of their own budget, feels like 1 or 1 and half

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They are not a charity.