M-Sport unveils its program for 2019

If Malcolm Wilson made alarmist remarks at Rally d’Australie en laissant entendre que l’équipe britannique pourrait être absente en 2019, M-Sport a finalement confirmé sa présence pour l’année prochaine.

Elfyn Evans and Teemu Suninen will contest all rounds of the calendar, while M-Sport will field a third Ford in several rounds, Pontus Tidemand being entered in Monte-Carlo and Sweden. The Welshman will now be co-driven by Scott Martin who will replace Daniel Barritt, while the Finn will be helped by his compatriot Marko Salminen who will take the place of Mikko Markkula.

“It’s been a rollercoaster the last few weeks. We went from celebrating our Drivers and Copilots titles with Sébastien (Ogier) and Julien (Ingrassia) to have to work night and day to put the program in place for 2019, explains Malcolm Wilson. We don't yet have all the details in place as I speak to you because there is a lot of development work being done behind the scenes. »

Malcolm Wilson had a word for Ford even if the presence of the American manufacturer remains anecdotal as he told us Sébastien Ogier at AUTOhebdo.

“Ford’s financial and technical collaboration has been essential for us to move forward. We've put together a new stepping stone with the new Ford Fiesta R2 presented earlier this month. We have always affirmed that the WRC was our showcase and development work at the highest level trickles down to every series we are on.”, assured the Briton.

“Next year will be very important for M-Sport. We have several projects coming up, including the launch of the Assessment Center at Dovenby Hall. We will continue to be present on the Web with our partners, taking advantage of the slightest opportunity. We're counting on the entire WRC community to put the missing pieces together, but we're confident we have the tools to do a good job.", said Malcolm Wilson.