Originally Posted by
Indreq
I think that TM probably thought that his bargaining position was stronger than it turned out to be. 1st - everybody agreed that Yaris is best car at the moment and it would make sense for Ott to stay; 2nd - Neuville and Ogier having signed contracts with their teams means that only MSport is viable alternative but their budget is not comparable to Toyota; 3rd - going to Hyundai or Citroen didnt seem like serious option, more like distraction, as at least in recent years usually every team tries to have one star driver and support drivers - having 2 stars in same team is very expensive and possibly damaging for climate. So one could forgive Tommi in playing it hard and calling Otts bluff until it turned out not to be bluff after all, but by then damage was done.