[WRC] News & Rumours 2021

[Co-driven]

Fabrizio Zaldivar in WRC3 2021 with Hyundai i20 R5

They just posted another updated photo and the post says that the co-driver ran with Mini and Citroen in WRC.
https://www.facebook.com/fauzaldivar...4092625029001/

Apparently, it's Carlos del Barrio...does this means that Sordo won't have a program with Hyundai in 2021? Or he will just change back to Marc Martí?

[mknight]

Loeb just won a rally when he went to Hyundai. If you want to nitpick you could add Tanak to those struggling drivers, this year he is 3/4 in stage wins with half the nummer of the leader (Neuville), last year he had almost double Neuville's number. Breen with his 1 good rally out of 4 starts could also be added.

So no I don't see much skewed there with 4 out of 6 drivers struggling. Certainly not compared with Toyota where basically everyone who drove it was fast out of the box and similar with Fiesta at start.

Neuville's effect at Hyundai has been that the car wasn't changed "cause Neuville is fast with it". In 2017 Neuville even made comments about his teammates on that. For Loeb there were also interviews with Adamo about it. Is that Neuville's fault? Not really, more the team leadership fault, which imo was one of the main reasons they didn't win manu title in 2017 and 2018. First big changes started to appear mid 2019.

Does that meant Neuville is "bad"? No, it might actually mean the opposite, that Neuville is too good to adapt to something that is flawed. But his ability to drive fast anyway couldn't do miracles in places like Finland and certainly couldn't make other drivers in the team perform better for manu champ.

[mknight]

Apparently, it's Carlos del Barrio...does this means that Sordo won't have a program with Hyundai in 2021? Or he will just change back to Marc Martí?

Seems very unlikely to me that Sordo won't drive in 2021. Hyundai don't have anything close to a safe points scorer to replace him. Breen is still unproven (ref. 1 good rally in 4 starts) and hasn't driven with it on WRC tarmac. Huttunen or Loubet are even much bigger risk than that.

Competing with Toyota that keeps Ogier with likely improving Rovanpera would be very hard. For Sordo himself it would seem logical to keep driving this car that he knows and then end after 2021 without learning the new car.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/1...n-motorsporttv

[Andre Oliveira]

So, at least 8 events in WRC3.

Which car? References to Hyundai deleted...

Who will codrive Dani Sordo?

[Portimao]

Marc Martí?

[Andre Oliveira]

Bring it... (2021)

[Andre Oliveira]

Marc Martí?

Sara Fernandéz according Marca

https://www.marca.com/motor/rallies/...c2d8b45a0.html

[dimviii]

Sébastien Ogier: "Regardless of my level next year, 2021 will be my last season"

WRC - In a long interview with our colleagues from L’Équipe, Sébastien Ogier returned to his seventh world champion title. La Gapençais also spoke of the rest of his career.

Sébastien Ogier is logically happy with this new WRC triumph, seventh with a third different manufacturer. The native of Gap does not place this title at the same height as the others, because of the bizarre season linked to the health crisis. The Toyota driver also spoke of the sequel, confirming that 2021 would be his final year in the WRC anyway.

My career was supposed to end this year. It is really because of the Covid and the fact of having spent six months at home that I wanted to do another year, to finish my career on something more interesting on a sporting level and in a more normal. I'm not saying that I will never do a rally again afterwards, I am not ruling out the possibility of doing a rally or two from time to time, but I will not do a full season again. I want to move on. I have no plans to extend at all. Regardless of my level of performance next year, 2021 will be my last season.

https://dicodusport.fr/blog/sebastie...eb-Dicodusport

[denkimi]

I doubt it. If he wins the title again he is only one more away from loebs record.