Quote Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC View Post
Hanninen was out of competitive WRC action for quite a while... no drives in 2016 and only one rally in 2015. That must have an effect on him coming into a full 2017 season after so long just testing...
That's a very good point and probably plays a big role in what we've seen from Hänninen so far in 2017. To be completely out for a year and then only to test during another definitely doesn't give you any competitive edge.

Modern WRC is anyway about driving at the limit on different stages for three days, whether you're actually "pushing" or not. That is something which is really hard to simulate during any kind of testing session.