Fiat

[Buzz Lightyear]

What next?

Abarth boss Nico Gullino leaves the team
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80142

[Sulland]

What next?

Hopefully more money from Fiat to Abarth, and then a updated car that can win again !

[RS]

Well, I rather hear this news that the team boss has been sacked than they quit rallying altogether.

Don't forget the car was still capable of winning this year, and very competitive on smoother tarmac events still.

They wouldn't have done so bad in the manufacturers chase if they had had a decent driver in the 2nd car for the whole year.

[Mirek]

Hopefully more money from Fiat to Abarth, and then a updated car that can win again !

Doesn't look like that...

[Helstar]

I think it's over or starting to be over for Abarth but hope to be wrong.

[PLuto]

We will see...

[Sulland]

If they had put a few of the millions they gave Iceman not to drive in 2010 to development, they could have saved the team.

And they need more sponsorship, and a new colourscheme on the workscars, but the most important thing is to get the cars to work better !

[Buzz Lightyear]

I think the problem is the new punto is not on sale until 2011, so it will be another year of making up the numbers. The managment did seem a bit all over the place with driver selection. The car seems quick only on very tighter european tarmac rallies, for which it was probably designed, outside that it seems to lack pace.

[HaCo]

You probably mean wider tarmac rally? The tight ones like barum and ypres they weren't with the fastest either...

[RS]

IMO it's not whether the road is tight or not, it's whether it is smooth.

The Punto was fast on Madeira, Asturias and Sanremo (just like last year) and not so good on bumpy Barum for example. I guess the Punto's suspension is not so good as the Fabia or 207.

Plus Basso seems to be some kind of superstar on these rallies. Look how much slower Duval was than Rossetti in Sanremo, and Duval was probably one of the closer ones to Loeb in WRC on tarmac.