Secto Rally Finland Evans Retains Lead

The third day of Secto Rally Finland has come to an end. Elfyn Evans retained his lead after a dominant day by him.

SS11, VÄSTILÄ 1

Elfyn Evans took the stage win on the 11th stage of the weekend. With Evans finishing 4.6 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take home the stage win. Teemu Suninen finished third quickest on the stage, 7.6 seconds slower than Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta posted the fourth fastest time, 0.8 seconds slower than Suninen. Jari-Matti Latvala rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 7.6 seconds slower than Suninen.

SS12, PÄIJÄLÄ 1

Stage 12 of Secto Rally Finland was also won by Eflyn Evans. With Evans posting a time 0.4 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to win the stage. Teemu Suninen finished third fastest on the stage, 7.3 seconds slower than Neuville. The returning Pierre-Louis Loubet posted the fourth quickest time on the outing, 6.3 seconds slower than Suninen. Jari-Matti Latvala once again finished fifth fastest on the stage, 1.9 seconds slower than Loubet.

SS13, RAPSULA 1

Stage 13 was also won by none other than Elfyn Evans. With Evans setting a time 3.4 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Takamoto Katsuta finished with his first top-three time of the day, 5.7 seconds slower than Neuville. Teemu Suninen set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Katsuta. Pierre-Louis Loubet rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 6.8 seconds slower than Suninen. 

SS14, VEKKULA 1

Stage 14 of Secto Rally Finland was also won by Elfyn Evans, meaning he completed the sweep of the morning loop. Evans finished 2.4 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville to take his fourth consecutive stage win. Takamoto Katsuta once again set the third fastest time on the stage, this time it was 5.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Teemu Suninen finished fourth fastest on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Katsuta. Pierre-Louis Loubet once again rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Suninen. 

SS15, VÄSTILÄ 2

Elfin Evans continued his dominance on SS15, taking yet another stage win. Evans finished 7.8 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Neuville. Teemu Suninen set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Katsuta. Pierre-Louis Loubet rounded out the top five once again, finishing 5.1 seconds slower than Suninen. 

SS16, PÄIJÄLÄ 2

Stage 16 of Secto Rally Finland was also won by Elfyn Evans. With Evans posting a time 4.5 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville. Teemu Suninen finished third fastest on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Suninen. Pierre-Louis Loubet once again rounded out the top five times on the stage, 5.1 seconds slower than Katsuta.

SS17, RAPSULA 2

Elfyn Evans continued his dominance of SS17 taking yet another stage win. With Evans setting a time 2.8 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take his seventh consecutive stage win. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Neuville. Teemu Suninen posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Katstua. Pierre-Louis Loubet once again finished with the fifth fastest time on the stage, 12 seconds slower than Suninen. 

SS18, VEKKULA 2

The final stage of the day of Secto Rally Finland finally saw someone other than Elfyn Evans win a stage. With Takamoto Katsuta finishing 1.6 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Eflyn Evans posted the third fastest time on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Neuville. Teemu Suninen finished fourth fastest on the stage, 4.2 seconds slower than Evans. Jari-Matti Latvala rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 7.2 seconds slower than Suninen.

Evans Dominates

Elfyn Evans took all but one stage win on the third day of Secto Rally Finland. Extending his lead from 6.9 seconds to 32.1 seconds at the end of the day. Evans should have a relatively easy time taking his second Rally Finland win in the last 5 runnings. But as mentioned a lot this weekend, anything can happen at Rally Finland and nothing is ever easy.

What To Expect From Day Three Of Secto Rally Finland

The fourth and final day of Secto Rally Finland will see drivers contest 51.64km across 4 stages to round out the event. With Evans sitting comfortably ahead of Neuville it’s unlikely the two will battle for position. With both drivers just wanting to finish the event and take home points at an event Rovanperä isn’t. Takamoto Katsuta and Teemu Suninen will likely battle for the final podium position. Suninen sat in third for part of the day. 

Contrary to an article posted a couple hours ago, Kalle Rovanperä will not restart Secto Rally Finland on day three.

Rovanperä Will Not Restart

Kalle Rovanperä was believed to be restarting on day three of Secto Rally Finland. This belief was caused by Rovanperä’s name being put on the start list for day three. Rovanperä was supposed to start second on the road, behind Pierre-Louis Loubet who will be restarting. 

Reason For Not Restarting 

The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team was given an extra hour to get the car back to parc femé at the end of day two. It was given to them due to  the time needed for the FIA technical delegate to give the authorization to repair it. Unfortunately for them and Rovanperä the chassis was too damaged for them to repair. This was kind of expected after Rovanperä’s car was pretty much a shell after he went end over end. But Toyota has repaired similar incidents in the past. Unfortunately this incident was too major for the team to repair. 

A Disappointing Ending

This wasn’t the ending to the 2023 running of Secto Rally Finland Rovanperä or Toyota had hoped for. Rovanperä would’ve liked to have taken the win at his home event. While Toyota would’ve liked the extra manufacturers points and for Rovanperä to get more championship points. Unfortunately you don’t always get what you hope for. It’s also a disappointing ending for the fans attending Secto Rally Finland who went to see the reigning champion in action. Now as a result they only have two Finnish drivers in the WRC1 class to watch. As Esapekka Lappi will also not be restarting. The two Fins that are left are Teemu Suninen and fan favourite Jari-Matti Latvala. Nevertheless the remaining drivers will be sure to put on the best show possible for the fans. 

Kalle Rovanperä Rolls Out Of Secto Rally Finland

Just a couple hours ago the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT announced championship leader Kalle Rovanperä will restart Secto Rally Finland.

Rovanperä Returns

Kalle Rovanperä crashed out of the lead on the eighth stage of Secto Rally Finland. Rovanperä led the event by 5.7 seconds over Elfyn Evans heading into the stage. The day was shaping up to be one reminiscent of Rally Estonia day three and four. With Rovanperä looking like he was going to take every stage win besides SS2. Which was won by Takamoto Katsuta. If Rovanperä did win all the stages on the day he likely would’ve had his first Rally Finland win in the bag. Unfortunately for Rovanperä, Secto Rally Finland is anything but easy and predictable. 

What Rovanperä’s Return Means

Kalle Rovanperä will be the second car on the road tomorrow. He will also start nearly 30 minutes behind Elfyn Evans who leads the rally. From a realistic standpoint, Rovanperä could climb into maybe a top 20 position at most. With a top 10 position unlikely Rovanperä will likely attempt to preserve tires for the Powerstage. We are also talking about Kalle Rovanperä who was going as slow as he could in Rally Estonia and still beat everyone by a handful of seconds on each stage. Nevertheless, Rovanperä’s roll is proof the reigning champion is indeed human like the rest of the drivers. 

Not The Only Returning Driver

The M-Sport Ford WRT also confirmed Pierre-Louis Loubet will restart Secto Rally Finland on day three. The Frenchman retired on SS3 after going wide and hitting a tree. Just 1km past where teammate Ott Tänak was forced to retire after his engine decided it didn’t want to work anymore. Tänak will not be returning. Loubet will get the honours of road sweeping tomorrow, but he better drive quickly as he will have an angry Fin starting behind him in Kalle Rovanperä.

2 Drivers Out

Ott Tänak wasn’t the only driver confirmed to not be restarting on day three of Secto Rally Finland. As Esapekka Lappi will also not be restarting the event. Esapekka Lappi sat in fourth, 0.3 seconds behind Thierry Neuville before crashing out on SS5. Lappi was the last Finnish driver to win Secto Rally Finland back in 2017. It has since been won by Ott Tänak three times and Elfyn Evans once. Evans currently looks destined to win the event. But as previously mentioned Secto Rally Finland is anything but easy and predictable. 

The second day of Secto Rally Finland has come to an end. Elfyn Evans leads the event after a drama-filled day.

SS2, LAUKAA 1 

Takamoto Katsuta started the second day off with a stage win. Beating Elfyn Evans by 0.5 seconds to take his first stage win of the event. Kalle Rovanperä finished third on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Evans. Esapekka Lappi set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Lappi.

SS3, LANKAMAA 1

The third stage of Secto Rally Finished was won by Kalle Rovanperä. Who set a time 1.8 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take his first stage win of the event. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 2.6 seconds slower than Evans. Esapekka Lappi posted the fourth fastest time, 0.7 seconds slower than Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta would round out the top five on the stage, 2.3 seconds slower than Lappi.

SS4, MYHINPÄÄ 1

Kalle Rovanperä also took the stage win on the fourth stage of his home event. Setting a time 1.4 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Esapekka Lappi finished third quickest on the stage, 1.2 seconds slower than Evans. Teemu Suninen set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.2 seconds slower than Lappi. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing a mere 0.1 seconds slower than Suninen.

SS5, HALTTULA 1

Kalle Rovanperä once again took top honours on SS5 of Secto Rally Finland. With the Fin setting a time 0.3 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take his third consecutive stage win. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 2.4 seconds slower than Evans. Thierry Neuville posted the fourth quickest time on the outing, 0.7 seconds slower than Katsuta. Teemu Suninen rounded out the top five, finishing 3.2 seconds slower than Neuville. 

SS6, LAUKAA 2

Kalle Rovanperä once again took the stage win on the sixth stage. Setting a time 0.2 seconds faster than teammate Takamoto Katsuta. Teemu Suninen finished with his first top-three time, finishing 0.4 seconds slower than Katsuta. Elfyn Evans posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Suninen. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Evans. 

SS7, LANKAMAA 2

If you had guessed Kalle Rovanperä took the stage win on stage 7 of Secto Rally Finland, you’d be correct. As Rovanperä posted a time 0.4 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take his fifth consecutive stage win. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Evans. Thierry Neuville set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Katsuta. Teemu Suninen rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Neuville.

SS8, MYHINPÄÄ 2

Stage 8 would finally see somebody other than Kalle Rovanperä win the stage. With Thierry Neuville taking his first stage win, finishing 2.1 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Evans. Teemu Suninen set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Katsuta. Jari-Matti Latvala would set his first top-five time on the stage, finishing 5 seconds slower than Suninen. 

SS9, HALTTULA 2

Thierry Neuville once again took the stage win on SS9 of Secto Rally Finland. Setting a time 1.2 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta who tied for second on the stage. Teemu Suninen finished with the third fastest time on the outing, 2.2 seconds slower than Evans and Katsuta. Jari-Matti Latvala posted the fourth fastest time, 3.2 seconds slower than Suninen. WRC2 driver Oliver Solberg rounded out the top five fastest times on the stage, finishing 8.8 seconds slower than Latvala. 

SS10, HARJU 2

Thierry Neuville also took the final stage win of the second day. Finishing 2.8 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans on the stage. Takamoto Katsuta set the third quickest time on the stage, 3.1 seconds slower than Evans. Teemu Suninen posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Katsuta. Jari-Matti Latvala rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.5 seconds slower than Suninen. 

Five Cars Remain, One Will Reign Victorious

The second day of Secto Rally Finland saw a lot of drama. As top runners Kalle Rovanperä (crash), Ott Tänak (engine) and Esapekka Lappi (crash) all retired on the day. Tänak is confirmed out of the event. Rovanperä’s status remains unknown at this time, but it’s likely he will retire as his car is pretty much just a shell at this point. Esapekka Lappi’s status is also unknown at this time. Pierre-Louis Loubet would also crash out of Secto Rally Finland, just 1km from where Tänak retired. Loubet’s status is also unknown at this time. 

What To Expect From Secto Rally Finland Day Three

The third day of Secto Rally Finland will see drivers contest 160.68km across 8 special stages. Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans will battle it out for 1st. With just 6.9 seconds separating the pair heading into the day. Teemu Suninen will likely battle with Takamoto Katsuta for third. With just 12.4 seconds separating that pair of drivers. 16.4 seconds separate Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta. As day two proved anything is possible at Secto Rally Finland. 

Kalle Rovanperä Rolls Out Of Secto Rally Finland

Ott Tänak Retires From Secto Rally Finland

Yet another top driver is out of Secto Rally Finland on just the second day. That driver is championship leader Kalle Rovanperä.

What Happened?

On SS8 Kalle Rovanperä would roll his Toyota Yaris Rally1 after hitting a tree after taking a corner. This would force Rovanperä to retire from the event for at least the remainder of Day Two. Looking at the damage, however, he will likely be out of the event completely. The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team will likely try their best to put the championship leader’s car back together, so he can at least put on a show for the fans. 

Disappointment On Home Soil

Kalle Rovanperä was the fan favorite to win Secto Rally Finland. As it’s his home event and everybody loves to win at home. It’s also something Rovanperä has never done and it’ll remain that way for at least another 12 months. Subsequently, no Fin has won Rally Finland since Esapekka Lappi in 2017. This was also the first time Rally Finland had a reigning champion be a Fin in 20 years. As well the Sebastien’s who dominated most of the 2000’s and 2010’s both came from a country starting with an F but unfortunately, the rest of the letters spell France not Finland. 

What Kalle Rovanperä’s Crash Means

Kalle Rovanperä was set to take his first ever Rally Finland win in the top class, and become the first Fin in 6 years to win the event. Rovanperä led Secto Rally Finland by 5.7 seconds over Elfyn Evans heading into the stage. Now with Rovanperä out, 2021 Rally Finland winner Elfyn Evans takes the lead. Now sitting 10.9 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville who is on pace for his best result in a decade. Now with only 5 Rally1 cars remaining, it’s likely nobody is going to take any major risks as there’s not much of a point. 

Just three stages into Secto Rally Finland a driver would retire from the event. That driver is 2022 winner Ott Tänak.

What Happened?

6.1km into the third stage of Secto Rally Finland Ott Tänak would switch into EV mode on his Ford Puma Rally1. Tänak would subsequently pull off the stage at the next access road, meaning he is done for at least today. The reason for Tänak’s retirement is due to his engine dying. He had a similar issue in Rally Estonia. Which was solved by M-Sport replacing Tänak’s engine. Ultimately costing the Estonian a 5-minute penalty at his home event.

A Disappointing End

Ott Tänak came into Secto Rally Finland looking for his fourth win in the last five years. Unfortunately for him that won’t be happening. Ott Tänak led the rally after SSS1 by 0.6 seconds over Thierry Neuville. Tänak would drop to a tie for second on SS2, 0.4 seconds slower than Kalle Rovanperä. Tänak was one of the favourites to take the win this weekend. Now it looks like Rovanperä’s main competition for the event win is gone once again.

What Ott Tänak’s Retirement Means

With Tänak out of contention for the rally win, and potentially the rally altogether it leaves a door open. A door to a podium position which was expected to be held by Tänak. It also robs us of a Tänak and Rovanperä battle once again. As we didn’t get it in Estonia due to a 5-minute penalty against Tänak, and now this. At this point, I truthfully don’t know if there’s a more unlucky driver in the WRC than Ott Tänak. Rally isn’t just about skill, it’s about luck as well. Any driver can tell you that you could have more skill than Rovanperä but without luck you’re not going to get far. 

The first day of Secto Rally Finland has come to an end. Ott Tänak leads the WRC1 class after the day.

Shakedown

Kalle Rovanperä topped the shakedown stage at his home event. Setting a time 0.8 seconds faster than 2021 winner Elfyn Evans. Esapekka Lappi finished third fastest on the shakedown stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time, a mere 0.1 seconds slower than Lappi. Takamoto Katsuta would round out the top five on the shakedown stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Tänak. 

SSS1, Harju 1

Ott Tänak posted the fastest time on the opening stage of Secto Rally Finland. Finishing 0.6 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Kalle Rovanperä finished with the third quickest time on the outing, 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Esapekka Lappi set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than fellow Fin Kalle Rovanperä. Elfyn Evans would round out the top five on the first test of the Rally, finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Lappi.

Picking Up Where He Left Off

2022 Secto Rally Finland winner Ott Tänak would pick up where he left off. Taking home the first stage win of the event, which could prove critical later on in the weekend. Tänak didn’t win the SuperSpecial stage last season. As Thierry Neuville took that honor. 

Underwhelming Start For Latvala

Jari-Matti Latvala is returning to WRC competition this weekend behind the wheel of a Toyota Yaris Rally1. Latvala finished with the slowest time of all the Rally1 cars. Finishing just 0.2 seconds ahead of Jari Huttunen who won the stage in the WRC2 class, and 3.5 seconds slower than Teemu Suninen. Latvala wasn’t expected to do great this weekend. As he is driving a Yaris with the same specs as last season. Nevertheless, Latvala still has time to improve his position, as only 1 stage has finished so far. 

What To Expect From Secto Rally Finland Day 2

The second day of Secto Rally Finland will see drivers contest 104.76km across 9 special stages. It’ll feature the first full forest stages of the weekend. Ott Tänak is expected to remain in the battle for the rally win. Well looking to take home his 4th Rally Finland victory in the last 5 years. Kalle Rovanperä is likely going to look to stop Tänak from winning the event. On the way to becoming the first Fin to win Rally Finland in 6 years. 

The 2023 WRC season continues this weekend with the 9th of 13 rounds, Secto Rally Finland. 

Drivers’ Championship Preview

Kalle Rovanperä will once again lead the Drivers’ championship standings into Secto Rally Finland much like he did last season. Last season Rovanperä came into his home event with an 83-point lead over Thierry Neuville. This time round Rovanperä leads Elfyn Evans by 55 points. Rovanperä is inching closer and closer to his second WRC championship every rally. As nobody has seemed to be able to match Rovanperä’s pace regularly. Rovanperä’s teammate Elfyn Evans sits second in the championship, as previously mentioned. Thierry Neuville moved into third in the championship after placing second at Rally Estonia last month. Neuville sits just 3 points behind Evans. 2022 Rally Finland winner Ott Tänak sits fourth in the championship, the same spot he sat last season. Tänak sits 8 points behind his former teammate Thierry Neuville. Sebastien Ogier managed to maintain a top 5 spot after Rally Estonia, now sitting 6 points behind Tänak. Ogier won’t be competing at Secto Rally Finland this weekend, however.

Championship Hopes On The Line

A couple of drivers’ championship hopes will be on the line, from a realistic standpoint at least. As after Secto Rally Finland, drivers will only have the opportunity to score 120 points. This puts a bit of pressure on drivers who want to stay in the championship hunt to finish ahead of Rovanperä. Luckily for them, Rovanperä hasn’t done great in Finland and has never won the event. Rovanperä’s highest finish in Finland is 2nd which came last season. Only one WRC1 driver is completely out of the championship race from a mathematical standpoint. That sole driver is Teemu Suninen, who drove half the season in WRC2. This means no WRC1 driver who has driven a WRC1 car all season is out of the hunt. 

Itinerary 

Day One 

Number Of Stages: 1

Total Stage Kilometres: 3.48km

Day Two

Number Of Stages: 9

Total Stage Kilometres: 104.76km

Longest Stage: Myhinpää (15.5km)

Shortest Stage: Harju (3.48km)

Day Three

Number Of Stages: 8

Total Stage Kilometres: 160.68km

Longest Stage: Vekkula (20.65km)

Shortest Stage: Västilä (18.94km)

Day Four

Number Of Stages: 4

Total Stage Kilometres: 51.64km

Longest Stage: Moksi-Sahloinen (16.56km)

Shortest Stage: Himos-Jämsä (9.26km)

Jari-Matti Latvala Returns To WRC Competition

Secto Rally Finland takes place later this week, Ott Tänak needs to do well at the event for a variety of reasons. 

Why Does Tänak Need To Do Good

With the 9th of the 2023 World Rally Championship takes place this weekend. 2022 Drivers’ Championship runner-up Ott Tänak currently sits 8 points off 3rd place (Thierry Neuville), 11 off 2nd place (Elfyn Evans) and 66 points off the current championship leader Kalle Rovanperä. If Tänak wants to keep his hopes of winning the championship this season alive he has to do well this weekend. Realistically speaking even if Tänak scores 0 points and Rovanperä scores 30 in Finland, Tänak can still come back. It would just be significantly harder. Just as a clarification Tänak can finish say 6th overall, he just has to attempt to score more points than Rovanperä. This is also the case with Evans and Neuville.

An Event He’s Won Before

Ott Tänak comes into the 2023 running of Secto Rally Finland as the reigning winner. As the Estonian won the event last year. Beating Kalle Rovanperä by 6.8 seconds. Tänak would only win 5 of the 22 stages last year. Last season Rally Finland would start Tänak’s short-lived push against Rovanperä. A push that saw Tänak win Rally Finland and Ypres Rally Belgium. Along with finding second at Acropolis Rally Greece. A second place which would have easily been a first if it wasn’t for team orders allowing Neuville to win, but I digress. Tänak’s push for the championship would come just a little bit too late. As Rovanperä would still take home the championship after winning Repco Rally New Zealand. Becoming the youngest WRC champion ever. 

With the 2023 World Rally Championship season halfway over. It may be time to start looking ahead to 2024 driver lineups. This article will look at who could drive for the M-Sport Ford WRT next season.

A Quick Note

In this article I am going to assume M-Sport will have 3 Rally1 Pumas next season. As where Jourdan Serderidis’s Puma will go next season is unknown at this point. I am also going to list atleast three potential drivers for each role (part-time and full-time). Some of these drivers may cross-over as well but it will be noted in the section about them. 

Full-Time Drivers

Ott Tänak

It’s likely Ott Tänak will remain with M-Sport Ford as their number 1 driver next season. Tänak currently sits 4th in the Drivers’ Championship, 8 points behind Thierry Neuville. Tänak returned to M-Sport last offseason after parting ways with Hyundai at the end of the 2022 season. The 35 year old Estonian is likely beginning the backend of his WRC career, but is looking for another championship win. Tänak won the 2019 WRC Championship being the first person since Petter Solberg to win the championship without the first name of Sebastien. 

Pierre-Louis Loubet

M-Sport Driver Pierre-Louis Loubet has had a rather disappointing 2023 WRC season. As Loubet hasn’t finished in the top five so far this season. Although Loubet has had some strong events, bad luck would strike each time causing him to not finish in the top five.The 26 year old Frenchman is racing in his first full WRC season. After being a part time driver for 2C Competition and M-Sport Ford. Loubet may be better served back in a part time role for M-Sport next season. 

Oliver Solberg

It’s no secret Oliver Solberg wants to be back in a Rally1 car. It’s also no secret Oliver Solberg has previously spoken to M-Sport about becoming a driver. Things just didn’t work out last season so Solberg wasn’t one this season, but he could be one next season. Solberg would make sense for M-Sport to add. As Solberg is an extremely talented driver who was really unlucky with Hyundai last season. The 21-year-old has shown what he can do in the WRC2 this season. As Solberg sits third in the WRC2 championship, 5 points behind Andreas Mikkelsen. Solberg could drive for M-Sport in a full-time or part-time role.

Part-Time

Adrien Fourmaux 

Fourmaux was another driver pushed down to WRC2 at the end of last season. Fourmaux was sent back down after a disappointing 2022 WRC season with M-Sport. Since then Fourmaux has competed in the British Rally Championship and 5 rounds of the WRC2 championship. Fourmaux hasn’t won a round in the WRC2 class this season, but has won all the rounds of the British championship so far. Fourmaux could be called back up by M-Sport to drive part time next season, well continuing to compete in the BRC. 

Gus Greensmith 

Greensmith was also demoted to WRC2 at the end of last season. Unlike Fourmaux, Greensmith parted ways with M-Sport after 6 seasons with the team. It’s unknown what the relationship between Greensmith and M-Sport is like but assuming it’s ok he could return to the team. Greensmith currently sits 5th in the WRC2 championship, 2 points behind Oliver Solberg. The 26-year old Brit would be a decent option for M-Sport to give another chance at the top level. As Greensmith has a decent amount of talent, he just hasn’t seemed to have had the luck to back it. 

Andreas Mikkelsen

Andreas Mikkelsen has been talked about a lot in the past two seasons as a candidate to return to the top level of Rally. Mikkelsen would give M-Sport another experienced driver in their lineup. As Mikkelsen has competed in 125 WRC rounds throughout his career, taking 114 stage wins and 25 podiums. The 34-year old Norwegian sits 2nd in the WRC2 championship this season, 8 points behind Yohan Rossel. Mikkelsen’s experience could be good for M-Sport if they use him in a similar role as Hyundai uses Dani Sordo. This wouldn’t be the first time Mikkelsen has driven a Ford branded rally car. As Mikkelsen would start his WRC career in a Ford. Mikkelsen began his three year stint with Ford at the beginning of the 2006 season, and ending it at the end of the 2008 season. 

Yohan Rossel

WRC2 Driver Yohan Rossel could be a good younger candidate for M-Sport to give a chance to next season. As Rossel is on pace to win the WRC2 championship this season. The 28 year old Frenchman has never been given a chance at the sport’s top level.