TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT

[Rally Power]

https://beta.is.fi/ralli/art-2000006325013.html
Finnish media IS reports that Toyota actually didn't have to pay anything to get Ogier released from his Citroen contract. The story claims Ogier handled that part himself, bypassing Budar and negotiated directly with Citroen's top management. If the story's true, Ogier had decided already in August that he would not drive for Citroen in 2020 and started to look for options. Allegedly Ogier convinced the Citroen bosses that they would save a huge amount of money by just releasing him from his contract and eventually that happened. Sounds silly but perfectly fits this silly season we're still living in.

That sounds like total BS. Meeke and Citroen went to court for way lower figures than in Ogier case so why on earth should PSA bosses be convinced to let Ogier go without any kind of compensation? Citroen extended for 2 years their WRC program with Ogier playing the central role in it; any court would force Ogier to pay them for breaking the contract. Besides, by signing Ogier PSA lost a major marketing asset like Loeb. For all this, that ‘you’re free to go’ version doesn’t make any sense; it’s probably a way to make us believe that Toyota/Makinen didn’t end paying a fortune to get Ogier and save their faces after Tanak leaving to Hyundai.

[deephouse]

Why did Ogier leave? Ask yourself again.. PSA coud be glad that he even show up to their team after ''that joke of their comitment'' Why did Abu Dhabi leave too? I think for the same reason (milking money and doing nothing about the real problem).

[TypeR]

That joke of commitment?
Look at the stats since 2003 and all the WDC and constructor titles + rally wins..
Ogier was in the fight for WDC thru 2019.. he made mistakes, Tänak had car issues..

[Rally Power]

Why did Ogier leave? Ask yourself again.. PSA coud be glad that he even show up to their team after ''that joke of their comitment'' Why did Abu Dhabi leave too? I think for the same reason (milking money and doing nothing about the real problem).

No one forced Ogier to leave MSport and join Citroen. He did it believing it’d be possible to improve the C3 and figth for the title, as he actually managed to do until the last event. Besides, at the end of 2018 Toyota (or Hyundai) doors were closed to him.

Btw, despite the initial attempt to carry on a young talent program in the MERC, it didn’t take long to see that Abu Dhabi Racing was just a way for Al Qassimi to be driving in the WRC. Last year he finally understood it was better for him to run Cross Country events instead of WRC rallys. He’s been using a Peugeot 3008, run by PHSport with Peugeot Sport help.

[EstWRC]

Lmao Mia with the big boss hoodie https://www.instagram.com/p/B5fD6YcJ...=1hhazttvtuaq5


That’s right of course

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Ogier wasnt happy with Ford's lack of commitment at M-Sport and believed Citroen's was higher as a full factory team.

The main problem was the C3 WRC was so flawed, not their commitment. Every fix they made caused a new problem elsewhere.

[Norm75]

Ogier wasnt happy with Ford's lack of commitment at M-Sport and believed Citroen's was higher as a full factory team.

The main problem was the C3 WRC was so flawed, not their commitment. Every fix they made caused a new problem elsewhere.

Of course their commitment. They've spent the past how many years with the will they won't they fannying around of pulling out of the sport, they take a year to implement changes Meeke called for, they haven't made any aero upgrades until it was too late, and they have never as far as I am aware held their hands up and said they've built a turd, just created a blame culture and buried their heads in the sand not holding themselves accountable for their fuckups.

There has been no driver stability in the team until last season having barely fielded a team with one lead driver on every rally in a season let alone two drivers, and three drivers which is pretty much a given requirement to fight for world championships, well you can forget that.

[flykas]

Yes. To Be a world champion you believe you are better than the rest. End of. Did Loeb drive for Citroen thinking he need to support his world champion team mates Sainz and McRae. No . . and became 9 times champ.
Did Ogier believe he had to support Loeb. No, he is 6 times world champ. Other disciplines, MotoGP, did Marquez join Honda as a rookie believing he has to support Pedrosa. No, won in rookie year . . He is 6 times champ. Did Hamilton join McLaren and believe he had to support Alonso. No . . He is 6 times champ.
Do you see as pattern emerging? You need to believe and be ruthless.

Yeah, but the problem is that Evans is not faster than Ogier...lol.

[deephouse]

Tanak wasn't faster than Ogier, now he is. Neuville wasn't too, now he is somewhere. Everyone needs to start somewhere and build up.

[Rally Power]

Of course their commitment. They've spent the past how many years with the will they won't they fannying around of pulling out of the sport, they take a year to implement changes Meeke called for, they haven't made any aero upgrades until it was too late, and they have never as far as I am aware held their hands up and said they've built a turd, just created a blame culture and buried their heads in the sand not holding themselves accountable for their fuckups.

There has been no driver stability in the team until last season having barely fielded a team with one lead driver on every rally in a season let alone two drivers, and three drivers which is pretty much a given requirement to fight for world championships, well you can forget that.

It’s sad to see rally fans so eagerly bashing Citroen for these last 3 seasons (even if those won’t hurt the fact of Citroen being the most successful WRC manu in the series history). It’s true that they failed to sort the C3 as a competitive car and that they’ve struggled to fix it, but they were still bravely trying and any fair observer should take Ogier 3 wins and 8 podiums (besides Lappi 2 P2’s) as positive development signs; unfortunately impossible to confirm next year.

It’s even sadder to see that most of the critics are Meeke fans, unable to recognize that no one but Meeke himself can be responsible for his misfortune. Actually, it really worthes to take a look on Meeke’s eWRC profile https://www.ewrc-results.com/profile/70-kris-meeke/ to see that it was Citroen and Peugeot that help him the most during his carrer. In the JWRC, at the IRC and in the WRC, PSA brands, directly or through their partners, gave Meeke plenty of chances to live his rally passion on a top level. Mini/Prodrive and now Toyota only kept him for one season, while MSport never gave him a chance; you can’t blame Citroen for that…