Budar: “A very bad result for Citroën” in Germany

Citroën approached the Rally of Germany 2019 with motivation and optimism. Velocity problems on asphalt seemed to have been corrected after a difficult Tour de Corse last spring. Unfortunately, the Reds recorded a meager result: Sébastien Ogier seventh, Esapekka Lappi eighth. 

Despite his talent, the Frenchman was never able to keep up with the pace ofOtt Tänak (Toyota) and Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), jusqu’à une crevaison fatidique lors de l’ES15. Remonté septième après une consigne d’équipe obligeant Esapekka Lappi à pointer en retard au parc d’assistance, le sextuple champion accuse 40 points behind the Estonian leader.

It's been a challenging @ADACRally and if our crews didn’t get the results they deserve, we will come back stronger! pic.twitter.com/3JJ2JlBZLj

— Citroën Racing (@CitroenRacing) August 25

Pierre Budard, the General Director of Citroën Racing, recognizes the team's shortcomings. “We actually thought we had understood the origin of our Corsican poor performance and had rectified the situation for this new meeting on the tarmac, where we hoped to play the leading roles, but we must recognize that it was not the case. 

We were closer to the leaders this weekend, but still too far away to be satisfied with that. We clearly missed something in our preparation, launches, bitterly, Pierre Budar.

This is a very bad result for us. We hoped to be able to fight for big points. It turns out we didn't provide our drivers with a car that could do that. It seems that our opponents have progressed faster than us. 

Two punctures picked up in the daunting military base left @SebOgier down in 8th position, his hopes of a podium all but gone. @EsapekkaLappi ended 7th overall, setting a few times that reflected the progress made on #C3WRC

https://t.co/GIRMKRAWh0
https://t.co/U5Fx5skpnN pic.twitter.com/Dcelgc97qH

— Citroën Racing (@CitroenRacing) August 24

We must redouble our efforts. We need to be able to make the car evolve much more quickly. This is what we will aim to do in the next rounds. »

Title chances for the duo Ogier-Ingrassia are still present, but the slope is slippery. “Obviously, it’s not a good operation in the championship for Sébastien and Julien. 

Until we are able to provide them with a car capable of fighting, they will not be able to improve their position in the championship. You can't rely on luck alone to win a championship. »

Focused & fully committed: that's how our crews drive #C3WRC! #WRC pic.twitter.com/r5Y8P4amXU

— Citroën Racing (@CitroenRacing) August 24

To avoid falling into distress, the men of the double chevron will go to Turkey for tests ahead of the rally (September 12-15). “We are testing to prepare for Turkey next week, and we we will fight until the end of the season with cohesion, application and passion." This will be necessary.

Discover the analysis of the Rally of Germany carried out by our special correspondent in issue 2231 of AUTOweekly, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.