Mäkinen: “Meeke needs to concentrate more”

Kris Meeke was able to fight for victory in the Rally of Finland when the Northern Irishman was trapped in the Kakaristo special stage by hitting a stone. If his teammate Jari-Matti Latvala made the same mistake, the Finn was able to continue with a puncture while Meeke had to throw in the towel.

While Toyota Gazoo Racing pouvait envisager un triplé, le Team Principal Kris Meeke a tenu à conseiller son pilote afin qu’il ne commette plus les mêmes étourderies.

“I told them both. When you lose concentration, this kind of thing can happen, especially on a rally like this, he said, quoted on WRC.com. I don't understand why they don't listen. Meeke may have been disturbed in some way by the situation. Maybe he was thinking of something else when he was flying. »

IF Kris Meeke had ever been fired from Citroën mid-season last year, Toyota ensured they would keep the Northern Irishman for the duration of his contract.

“There's no reason to think we won't take Kris to the next rally, added Tommi Mäkinen, referring to the Rally Germany. We will never do that on our team, in any way. You don't even have to think about it. Kris will be in Germany and behind the wheel on every rally. He has a contract until the end of the season. »

Discover the analysis of the Rally of Finland carried out by our special correspondent in issue 2228 of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version on all platforms and on newsstands.