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  1. #141
    Senior Member EstWRC's Avatar
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    Because Lappi would have to pay in m-sport, thats the reason he doesnt want to go there....he said this last year or beginning of this year in one interview


    For me its clear what Sordo says in that interview, part time in Hyundai again and i guess sharing the car with Oliver then and maybe also with Suninen.
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  2. #142
    Senior Member AnttiL's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mknight View Post

    Well Gryazins pace in Rally2 Fiesta was quite some shock considering Suninen was level with Lappi for 1/3 of Portugal in similar conditions..
    Sohlberg also mentioned this in the stream, as a defense to Suninen. He also described the Fiesta Rally2 to have been incomplete when it was homologated, and not much development have been done.

  3. #143
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    Quote Originally Posted by EstWRC View Post
    Because Lappi would have to pay in m-sport, thats the reason he doesnt want to go there....he said this last year or beginning of this year in one interview
    This year yes.
    2022 I doubt MSport can/will have only paydrivers, for example Breen seemingly has no money.

  4. Likes: AnttiL (20th September 2021)
  5. #144
    Senior Member AnttiL's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mknight View Post
    This year yes.
    2022 I doubt MSport can/will have only paydrivers, for example Breen seemingly has no money.
    Yes, it's assumed that M-Sport is looking for a driver capable of winning rallies and the team would be paying salary for that. But many things hint that Breen has a done deal, for example latest episode of Absolute Rally.

    However, I can only assume Lappi has negotiated with M-Sport and Breen with Toyota as well. I would imagine Breen wants full season at all costs, while Lappi could be satisfied with a partial season at Toyota (for getting to spend more time with the family, also through doing test work in Finland)
    Last edited by AnttiL; 20th September 2021 at 09:27.

  6. Likes: pantealex (20th September 2021)
  7. #145
    Senior Member Fast Eddie WRC's Avatar
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    Breen wants & needs a full season for his high ambitions to get to the top. And M-Sport will only pay for a driver with a good recent WRC record and a serious aim to win rallies. They are therefore an ideal match.

    Suninen has had his chances to impress and clearly hasnt for too long. If he gets a any kind of paid 2022 Rally1 drives with Hyundai he'll be very lucky.

  8. #146
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC View Post
    Breen wants & needs a full season for his high ambitions to get to the top. And M-Sport will only pay for a driver with a good recent WRC record and a serious aim to win rallies. They are therefore an ideal match.
    Last year Lappi was in pretty much exactly same situation (except MSport didn't pay cause he still had salary from Citroen).

    That "ideal match" didn't end well for either side.

  9. Likes: pantealex (20th September 2021)
  10. #147
    Senior Member Fast Eddie WRC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mknight View Post
    Last year Lappi was in pretty much exactly same situation (except MSport didn't pay cause he still had salary from Citroen).

    That "ideal match" didn't end well for either side.
    Like Breen, Lappi had no other choice if he wanted a (full-time) drive.

    And like Lappi Breen will be getting paid, so wont be losing anything.

    Actually the nearest comparison is when Ogier joined M-Sport with a new generation car in '17 .... and that did work out rather well.

  11. #148
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC View Post
    Actually the nearest comparison is when Ogier joined M-Sport with a new generation car in '17 .... and that did work out rather well.
    Ogier in 2016 - 4 times world champion with 38 rally wins that said no to (allegedly) 10 mil euro offer from Toyota cause he didn't like the car on test and just tested the Fiesta and found it decent compared with the 2017 Polo that he spend 6+months testing.

    Breen in 2021 - 5 times podium finisher (in 5 years) that does 4 WRC rallies a year and hasn't driven a single 2022 car and (likely) signed without ever testing the car.

    Really close comparison that

  12. Likes: TWRC (21st September 2021)
  13. #149
    Senior Member AnttiL's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mknight View Post
    Last year Lappi was in pretty much exactly same situation (except MSport didn't pay cause he still had salary from Citroen).

    That "ideal match" didn't end well for either side.
    2020 and 2022 are completely different situations for M-Sport.

    Basically Lappi was a pay driver in 2020, bringing his Citroen money. And when that money ran out, he couldn't continue for 2021. In 2020 Fiesta was lacking behind in development and M-Sport was likely just waiting for the new era to begin.

    But in 2022, they want to be back at winning rallies, if not titles, and they are ready to put money in a driver who can deliver.

  14. Likes: cali (20th September 2021),er88 (20th September 2021)
  15. #150
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    Quote Originally Posted by AnttiL View Post

    But in 2022, they want to be back at winning rallies, if not titles, and they are ready to put money in a driver who can deliver.
    I am sure you are also seeing the very mixed communication from them.

    On one hand we get what you described saying they want a top driver and 3 cars to be able to fight in manu champs.

    Then they fail to hire any of last years rally winners (did they even try or was that just PR talk?). And lately we get extensive interviews on how Greensmith has shown he is on "WRC level" and last days a story on how Fourmaux and Greensmith are on same level.

    So PR talk for sponsors is one thing, real actions are something else. Worst case they enter next season with Breen, Fourmaux and Greensmith and a meh car that maybe manages 2-3 podiums. (basically 2019 style).

    Neither Greensmith nor Fourmaux can be expected to beat any of Rovanpera/Evans/Ogier/Lappi/Neuville/Tanak/Sordo on speed in 2022. How many rallies can Breen be expected to beat (almost) all of them? 3 maybe? (SWE, FIN, EST, no Ypres next year), maybe fewer without road position advantage. That's in my eyes a long way from the announced ambition levels.

  16. Likes: Rally Hokkaido (21st September 2021)

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