https://parcferme.no/rally/andreas-s...an-sliter-med/

""We knew in January that the car was not good enough for you on asphalt. Now we are in October. Why did not something happen?

"First of all, there are not so many asphalt runs on the calendar, and we have had very few tests on asphalt. I push on for changes, but it takes time before things come. Things that came two weeks ago I asked for a year ago. And some of the changes are still improving, even for me. You see, the other two get it. They have been closer. But I do not have that. So there I still have to figure out something, says Mikkelsen."

....
"I just have to figure out the driving style with the car, so. I'm still trying to drive a car, which I think is best driving a car and the way I've been driving for years, "says Mikkelsen.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Well it's true that Neuville and Sordo were seemingly closer to the top (then again there were only 3-4 dry stages).

Rest kinda supports what was said around here before. Adapting the car to Mikkelsen is not a priority at all, neither are tarmac tests and due to that he seems to be giving up and trying to drive differently.

While the first part is kinda understandable since he is not fighting for championship (though that wasn't clear before Corsica when he was 3rd in standings) and they have Sordo as a tarmac driver, it still hurts them in manu champs when Sordo does not get points (like in Germany). But as I wrote already in april after a while becomes a bit too many rallies where the car(s) have issues (Finland, tarmac -Corsica and Germany for all, Spain for Mikkelsen) and it the end, that's why they will loose manu champ imo.

Have to wonder about how universal the 2017/2018 I20 really is. The only driver that drives it consistently fast is Neuville.

Sordo was also minutes behind in Finland and GB last year (didn't start this year). Mikkelsen struggles on tarmac and also in Finland. Paddon has been struggling on gravel on basically all rallies except Finland (certainly relative to 2016 where he had same speed as Neuville and also compared with some 2017 drives (Sardinia).

So if you were Paddon/Breen/Evans would you go for part-time seat at Hyundai knowing this or part-time seat at Citroen (which obviously was also temperamental but now seems to be improving) or to full-time at MSport where you risk that car will start falling behind. Hard pick.