M-Sport Ford World Rally Teams

[WRC1]

If you are a paydriver, to choose Montecarlo is very risky, because that rally is more like a lottery, than sport; you really need experience - misjudge 1 corner and all is f...d big time. Common sense says that we would see more pay-drivers in Rally1 cars from Swe onwards.

but it could also end the other way round....you dont have to be the fastest driver out there, you simply have to go "proper" speed from start to finish, have a little bit luck with tire choice and you can end up very high up in the leaderboard!

[Kenneth]

I would say that pay drivers care more about fun than ending up in leaderboard. You know, 6th place won't make you famous.

Also still the risk is much higher.

[becher]

Well if they really only care about Tänak, they should still have one other car with a somewhat capable driver. Sending him for the championship alongside tourists is not gona help his chances.

[er88]

That's true. A good team mate can take pts off other championship rivals, and be used in extreme cases to gift positions to your lead driver. However the best we can hope for at Msport is Loeb does 4or 5 events, and Loubet gets most of the season. Greensmith will pay for his full season, but he's not a help.
However, having a team of those 4 drivers is a hell of a lot better than Msport going into this season without Tanak.

[doubled1978]

They are probably just trying to get Red Bull to pay for the Loeb car in MC, or most of it. Negotiations played in public.

[240RS]

Motorsport.com: "Tanak says he has been assured that M-Sport will be able to maintain the development of the Puma to ensure it remains competitive against the factory Toyota and Hyundai teams that boast bigger budgets.

"I'm sure there is the potential," added Tanak. "The team has a great infrastructure and they have strong support from Ford also, so if we all work together and we really want it badly then we can make everything happen."

If there was any need for clarification on the scale of Ford's involvement, then this is it.

That may very well mean that pay drivers won't be anywhere near as important as they have been. And given that the drivers title appears to be the focus, M-Sport aren't likely to be pulling all stops for second-tier drivers.

[Rallyest]

Motorsport.com: "Tanak says he has been assured that M-Sport will be able to maintain the development of the Puma to ensure it remains competitive against the factory Toyota and Hyundai teams that boast bigger budgets.

"I'm sure there is the potential," added Tanak. "The team has a great infrastructure and they have strong support from Ford also, so if we all work together and we really want it badly then we can make everything happen."

If there was any need for clarification on the scale of Ford's involvement, then this is it.

That may very well mean that pay drivers won't be anywhere near as important as they have been. And given that the drivers title appears to be the focus, M-Sport aren't likely to be pulling all stops for second-tier drivers.

So it is pretty much the same sentence that was quoted on dirtfish article and many others. And from that motorsport.com says The Puma will be developed well, probably is like that but i would take this article with a grain of salt

[EstWRC]

Motorsport.com: "Tanak says he has been assured that M-Sport will be able to maintain the development of the Puma to ensure it remains competitive against the factory Toyota and Hyundai teams that boast bigger budgets.

"I'm sure there is the potential," added Tanak. "The team has a great infrastructure and they have strong support from Ford also, so if we all work together and we really want it badly then we can make everything happen."

If there was any need for clarification on the scale of Ford's involvement, then this is it.

That may very well mean that pay drivers won't be anywhere near as important as they have been. And given that the drivers title appears to be the focus, M-Sport aren't likely to be pulling all stops for second-tier drivers.

Full article if anyone is interested https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/...tle-/10410889/


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[Fast Eddie WRC]

As a former world champion, I'm sure that Tanak will be as demanding as Ogier was when he joined M-Sport - ensuring everyone gives their best and most professional work - and in a way that Breen never could've done.

[EstWRC]

So how did M-Sport pull off the signing of the silly season?

“It is not easy to attract an ex-world champion to the team when we only won one event during the year,” Millener tells Autosport. “You have got to try hard to persuade him that we know what we are doing and this is the right car, package and team to win. And that takes a lot of time.

“I think there is a lot of trust in Malcolm and in us and what we have done. He [Ott] is experienced enough and sensible enough to know what the car is capable of. I think those were the points that allowed him to make the decision to come to us, but it took a long time.

“Often it takes a lot longer to do something like this than people think. There are a lot of complex issues in terms of contracts and various bits that need to be sorted.


“It was a bit like the deal with Loeb in 2022. You think 'is it actually physically possible to achieve this with someone like Ott?' 'Are we setting our sights too high?' I think those thoughts came and went a number of times.

“There was a concerted effort between a number of sponsors and M-Sport and Malcolm himself. We can’t do it without the support of Ford, and not necessarily in fully funding Ott, but in ensuring that we are going to have development and we are going to have a push towards keeping the car as competitive as possible.

“All of those things combined is what has allowed us to get there. It is a great team effort.”

Full article https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/h...ning/10410948/