Citroën well placed at the Swedish Rally

Citroën Racing made a successful start to the event Rally from Sweden. Craig Breen and Mads Ostberg who discovers the C3 WRC on the snow are in the top five, a dozen seconds behind the race lead occupied by Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) who precedes his teammates Andreas Mikkelsen and Hayden Paddon.

“I knew I had a good road position today, but I'm particularly happy to have done so well, comments Craig Breen, fourth in the standings, half a second from the provisional podium. My C3 WRC worked really well. Tomorrow will be an interesting day! We will have to see how the weather develops, because there is already a lot of dirt appearing this afternoon, but during the reconnaissance, the upcoming stages were in less good condition than today's, so the conditions could become more complicated. on the second pass. »

Today's performance among the Reds can undoubtedly be attributed to Mads Ostberg. For his debut in the C3 WRC, the Norwegian kept pace with the best to find himself only six tenths behind the Irishman.

“It wasn't an easy day, but I'm very happy with it, confirms the Norwegian who only has a one-round contract with the Chevrons manufacturer for the moment. When I arrived here, I didn't expect to be up to speed so quickly. This afternoon, the road conditions were really different from those I experienced in testing, and my settings were not optimal. But I fought, I also learned a lot about the C3 WRC, and I am hopeful that this will help me to be even more competitive in the future. Especially since I've always been more comfortable on the Swedish ES than the Norwegian ones, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow! »

On the other hand, Kris Meeke, like many, suffered from his position on the road following his fourth place in the Monte-Carlo Rally last month. The Northern Irishman is only tenth, 14 seconds behindOtt Tänak (Toyota) and focused on staying ahead of the Championship leader Sébastien Ogier (M-Sport).

“It was a very difficult day for us, but we got through it, breathes Kris Meeke. We weren't very far from Tänak and Latvala, but I wasn't comfortable enough, nor ready to risk everything, so I didn't try to compensate. Tomorrow, our position on the road will not be optimal either, but we will try to have an intelligent approach, and stay on the lookout for what is happening ahead, in case the opportunity to progress in the hierarchy arises. would present. »

“I would like to salute the very good performance of Craig, who obviously knew how to take advantage of his good position on the road, but it still had to be done! It's a sign that he was confident with the C3 WRC, and I hope he can maintain this pace tomorrow. Mads was also amazing, considering the little driving he had with the car, and we will continue to work together so that he gains even more confidence. Kris, on the other hand, was handicapped by his starting order, as well as lacking in confidence, so he did not tempt the devil and respected his schedule, in the hope of reaching the finish with a few good points., summarizes Pierre Budar, the director of Citroën Racing.