“It is difficult, it is clearly painful for every single team member – just like I’m sure it was painful for them {Ott and Martin Jarveoja],” Abiteboul added when asked about Tanak’s crash and its impact on the manufacturers' battle.

“I’m going to be honest: I still struggle to measure to what extent [the drivers] know the risk level they are taking in these cars. It is not circuit racing where lap after lap you can say I need to go one tenth faster or one tenth slower, it is not like that. They have a green light to go and then they are alone.

“We are in a time of massive connectivity and an amount of data but there is none of that, and sometimes what is obvious to us looking at the split – it was obvious to me that he was way too quick. It is obvious to me but is it obvious to him? I don’t know.

“The message was clear. We said that we needed to be P3 and P5 [on Sunday], not P1 or P2. There was no necessity to be on a crazy push like that, but the key question is: to what extent do they know they are on such a big push?

“He was starting last and I think there was phone coverage of the stage, but having said that, there is not split information in the car. I have to excuse myself for still lacking experience in knowing their ability to assess.
https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/...feat/10676584/