[WRC] News & Rumours 2021

[cali]

There is no confiusion. Ogier is dominating by combination of speed and brains.

Stagewins most of the rally after you crash out with own mistake on second stage are worth exactly nothing.

One would think that after his last 4 (likely) titles Ogier has shown everyone how you win WRC.

1. Agreed. Ogier is doing steady job of cleaning the roads with very good pace and then controlling his own rhythm to get the best points finish possible.

2. You need more than one rally to get to 23 stage wins. Considering that Tänak was nowhere in Croatia and Monte, has been retiring or using SuperRally at least in 4 occasions, it's even more impressive. In Estonia he missed 6 stages after his retirement alone. By no means he would've won them all but it would have been close fight with Kalle. It shows exactly that the speed is there. How much have they sacrificed reliability to get to the speed is yet fully unknown but one could guess just by looking at the results that they have compromised too much. Speed alone doesn't win titles and that's where they have failed as a team.
Maybe for it's not worth much and pointswise it's also true, you can't deny that the speed has been up there.

3. Agreed.

[focus206]

Just to end some confusion about speed and dominance etc
Ogier is just outsmarting everyone. Again.

https://www.juwra.com/season_2021_stats_stage_wins.html

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I don't see Ogier "outsmarting" everyone this season. He performed overall better than Evans, while in retrospect Neuville and Tanak had close to 0 chances due to Hyundai falling apart constantly. Even if Hyundai drivers were "smarter", hardly anything would have changed.
Ogier made one mistake this season (Arctic), the same as Neuville (Portugal), but look at the difference in the standings. Ogier was most of the times a bit faster and the Yaris was perfect. And he somehow managed to win Croatia after the huge road section problems.

[cali]

I don't see Ogier "outsmarting" everyone this season. He performed overall better than Evans, while in retrospect Neuville and Tanak had close to 0 chances due to Hyundai falling apart constantly. Even if Hyundai drivers were "smarter", hardly anything would have changed.
Ogier made one mistake this season (Arctic), the same as Neuville (Portugal), but look at the difference in the standings. Ogier was most of the times a bit faster and the Yaris was perfect. And he somehow managed to win Croatia after the huge road section problems.

Outsmarting in the sense of when to push and when to play it safe. Others have failed in this.

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[focus206]

Outsmarting in the sense of when to push and when to play it safe. Others have failed in this.

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I don't think that Tanak and Neuville were "not smart" this season, since Hyundai keeps breaking down. Vast majority of their problems came from car reliability.
Ogier has always been a fast, consistent and smart driver, but I didn't see him "outsmarting" his opponents this year. The biggest factor was car reliability in my opinion.

[mknight]

Instances of not beeing smart from the top of my head:
- Tanak taking 5 tires for just about every section at the start of the year even when everyone else took 6. Resulted in retirement in Monte
- Neuville Portugal crash
(- Safari punctures on Friday, both Tanak and Neuville with multiple punctures but others ok)
- Tanak Estonia (starting from jumping half car off the road on first run of SD, then self-inflicted puncture, followed by self-inflicted roll)

[Tom K]

Loubet absence

https://twitter.com/PL_Loubet/status...00456125763586

[meh]

Loubet absence

https://twitter.com/PL_Loubet/status...00456125763586

Will it increase Suninen's (or someone else's) chance for WRC drive for last rounds this year?

[doubled1978]

Will it increase Suninen's (or someone else's) chance for WRC drive for last rounds this year?

It would be nice to him get a go at Monza, but I guess depends if Adamo would give him the chance, or if someone else will pay.

[mknight]

Well maybe Hyundai has some spareparts they might want to use as they will become close to useless soon. Especially those for an older-spec car like Loubet was using.

[Andre Oliveira]

Solans in Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC at Catalunya