The challenges of Rally Finland

Victorious in this event last season, Mikko Hirvonen will do everything this weekend to repeat his performance. With the season already practically over (65 points behind the leader), the Finn has nothing left to lose and will throw himself headlong into proving that he will once again be the fastest through the Finnish forests. “ I?m really looking forward to defending my victory from last year because I want to maintain the winner status in Finland », commented a very motivated Hirvonen, after his disappointments in Portugal and Bulgaria.

The leader of the Championship, Sébastien Loeb, approaches the test in a completely different way. Having a comfortable lead of 51 points over its closest rival Sébastien Ogier, another Citroën driver, the six-time World Champion wants to secure the points in the Championship without taking unnecessary risks for victory. “ When you're in a struggle, you keep fighting and taking risks », commented the winner of the 2008 edition. « But I no longer have to take these risks in the place where I find myself. When I start a rally, I'm still trying to fight, but there's definitely less pressure now ».

Sébastien Ogier will be behind the wheel of a C4 for the first time WRC official and will do everything to achieve a flattering result, in gratitude for the trust placed in it. The Frenchman has already proven his talent on gravel rallies, after coming close to victory in New Zealand and a first success in Portugal. “ I will participate in this rally with the aim of scoring points for the Constructors' Championship title. “, said Dani Sordo’s replacement. “ The objective is a little different but the approach will be the same. Since the start of the season we have shown that we can fight with the best on earth. Even if it will undoubtedly be difficult, a podium would be a very good result. »

Dani Sordo swaps his seat with that of Sébastien Ogier for the next gravel rallies. If Citroën Racing's decision does not leave him unmoved, the Spaniard is trying to take all the positives from it. “ I will have less pressure on my shoulders “, explains Kimi Räikkönen’s new teammate. “ By changing teams, I will not constantly have in mind the fundamental need to score points for the Citroën team. I'm just going to focus on doing my rally by delivering the best performance possible ».

Jari-Matti Latvala, the second Ford driver, and Kimi Räikkönen, from the Citroën Junior Team, will be the runners-up in this event. However, if the Fords have been less efficient for several rallies, the Focus RS WRCs have often shown themselves at their best in Finland. We could thus see Mikko Hirvonen's teammate in a better place in this event.

But for the former World Champion of F1, this rally is also a good opportunity to prove yourself. The Finn will take the start of the only rally on the calendar that he already knows, having driven an S2000 last season. He will therefore be less handicapped by his grades and will be able to start on an equal footing with his new Spanish teammate.