[WRC] News & rumours (part III)

[stefanvv]

imho he feels better because championship pressure is over.

usually the pressure should be more when the end is near

[AL14]

After Portugal the gap between Ogier and Latvala was 29 points. In Spain the gap was 27 and in Galles 31 if I remember well. He was very close to him last year, he throw points away on a couple of rally, especially Germany.
Nice one dimvii. I didn't think about it but it seems that it is an important point.

[AL14]

usually the pressure should be more when the end is near

It's not that kind of pressure he's referring to. He's talking about the pressure you have when championship is an open affaire.
During the end, in his case it is almost over and that is when he wins more. When he has nothing more to lose and doesn't feel too much pressure as before

[dimviii]

thats right^^

[stefanvv]

It's not that kind of pressure he's referring to. He's talking about the pressure you have when championship is an open affaire.
During the end, in his case it is almost over and that is when he wins more. When he has nothing more to lose and doesn't feel too much pressure as before

Hmmm ok, I'm confused. So when the championship is very open in early phase, he should be more relaxed to drive flat out, and still makes more mistakes. When he is way behind in points, he should do less mistakes, drive faster and win rallies, so the pressure should be bigger. And yet it comes to that illogical situation. I have no other explanation that he doesn't want (subconsciously) to win his title in early phase, and drive more comfortably on the second phase.

[EightGear]

No, at the end of the season he has thrown it away already anyway so he can drive more relaxed and comfortably because he isn't risking the championship anymore.

Kind of like he can drive more naturally without thinking too much. Because thinking and worrying is what he is doing too much.

[tommeke_B]

Last year Latvala had two real crashes (Portugal and Germany), and some minor mistakes in Wales. In first 7 events of the season he had 6 top 5 finishes (of which 4 podium, including 2 victories). In last 6 events he had one retirement, finished 8th once and had 4 podium results (2 victories and 2x 2nd place). So no reasonable difference imo between beginning and end of the season.

This year he had a 2nd place finish on Monte, you cannot expect better... Now he crashed two events in a row, and he's suddenly insecure again and can't handle the pressure??? Come on, be realistic... Somebody who ever drove a rally-stage, or better, WRC stage, knows how demanding they are. Now imagine that on such stage the top drivers are often seperated by only very few seconds. Those seconds are easy to lose but very hard to gain... And every event is over 300kms long. At that level drivers have some moments, sometimes several in one stage, most of the time they have the right reaction and can keep the car on the road without a major time-loss or damage (that's what normal people call luck), sometimes not (that's when people here call Latvala mentally weak). People who claim Latvala crashes too much don't have an idea of what they are saying. When you watch the statistics Latvala doesn't crash that much and he doesn't have many retirements during the last couple of seasons. Back in the so called "golden" years there were drivers becoming champion with waaay more retirements because of crashing... For example Burns became champion in a year when he finished outside the points 6 times, and he won only one event! I don't think you can say Latvala is less worthy than some champions from the past.. The main things that kept and keep him from becoming champion are two Sébastiens, super-products from FFSA Rallye Jeunes, both at their time backed by the best team that's competing in the championship...

[stefanvv]

Yeah, thinking and worrying too much he should do about driving his car whole season fast, instead of comparisons with this and that. That is true....

[stefanvv]

The main things that kept and keep him from becoming champion are two Sébastiens, super-products from FFSA Rallye Jeunes, both at their time backed by the best team that's competing in the championship...

That was mainly my point. He should stop worrying about "Sebastien" and do whatever he could best out of each event. Then may be, may be one day he will wake up as a champion all of a sudden.

[tommeke_B]

That was mainly my point. He should stop worrying about "Sebastien" and do whatever he could best out of each event. Then may be, may be one day he will wake up as a champion all of a sudden.

Unless Ogier makes huge mistakes (you know he will not) your tactic doesn't work. If you want to be the best you have to beat the best...