Mads Østberg arrives motivated in Sweden

The upheaval caused by the departure of Volkswagen Motorsport at the end of 2016 at the level of the drivers' field for 2017 had caused several "victims", first and foremost Andreas Mikkelsen and Mads Ostberg.

Barred by the arrival of Sébastien Ogier in M-Sport et les retours de Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans, Østberg had to resolve to miss the Rally Monte-Carlo while affirming that he would perform well this season on several world rounds at the wheel of a WRC new generation.

The efforts of the former Citroën driver have paid off since it is with the help of the Czech Martin Prokop and the Jipocar ​​World Rally Team that he will line up this weekend at the start in Sweden in a Ford Fiesta WRC prepared by M- Sport.

“The team is going to be easy to manage and flexible, and the people are not only very knowledgeable but also extremely dedicated to working with me for the best possible results, comments Østberg.

I like to have a good personal relationship with my team members, and after the tests in Sweden I really feel a positive momentum. If we can keep this feeling and also find the right setups for the car in all the different conditions, I will be able to perform to the best of my abilities. »

The Norwegian, author of a lackluster season last year with M-Sport, intends to find his feet again on a terrain he loves and is aiming for much more than just decent performances.

“I wasn’t very motivated after a frustrating season with disappointing results last year, but now I feel optimistic. Things happened in a very short time, M-Sport managed to deliver a car last week and I had two very good days of testing in Sweden on Saturday and Sunday.

No one should doubt that I am still “hungry” as a competitor, and I will drive to aim for the top positions this season »

The Jipocar ​​World Rally Team is expected to enter a single car again in Mexico, this time for Martin Prokop, before moving to two cars regularly for both drivers later in the year.