Esapekka Lappi confirmed at M-Sport

This transfer had been mentioned in our columns for several weeks and appears logical since only M-Sport Ford pour accueillir Esapekka Lappi pour un programme complet en 2020.

The ex-pilot Toyota et Citroën Racing découvrira donc une troisième écurie en trois saisons, après être passé de la marque japonaise à celle aux chevrons il y a douze mois, avant la fin de l’implication de Citroën Racing annoncée dans la foulée de la fin de campagne 2019.

“I'm really looking forward to this new adventure and can't wait to see what we can accomplish, Lappi advances. M-Sport Ford has a real passion for rally and there were a lot of talented drivers available for this seat, so I'm very happy that they trusted us – giving me and Janne the opportunity to show what we can do in 2020."

Lappi to begin first tests with the Ford Fiesta WRC dès cette semaine, soit sur un planning bien plus en retard par rapport à la concurrence emmenée par Hyundai et Toyota qui ont roulé avant la fêtes.

The Finn will drive one of the three Ford Fiesta WRCs from Malcolm Wilson's team for the entire 2020 rounds, with Teemu Suninen being the second full-time driver, as was already the case in 2019. This will also be a 100% Finnish pair like during the Marcus Grönholm – Mikko Hirvonen era then with the arrival of Jari-Matti Latvala.

“We are returning to our roots in a way this year, fielding a young team and welcoming two Finnish crews into the family, recalls M-Sport founder Malcolm Wilson.

We have had fantastic results with Marcus, Mikko and Jari-Matti (Latvala), and now I can't wait to see how the next generation of Flying Finns grows.

Our core philosophy has always been the promotion and progression of young talent, and with Esapekka, Teemu and Gus we have three young talents who are all capable of bringing strong results. »

Gus Greensmith will in fact drive a WRC in nine rounds of the season: Monte Carlo, Mexico, Argentina, Portugal, Italy, Finland, Turkey, Germany and Wales Rally GB.