Meeke: the weather matters more than the course in Monte-Carlo

Citroën Racing will be keen to make an impression this week at the Rally Monte Carlo. Between a disappointing 2017 season with the C3 WRC et the recent departure of Yves Matton replaced by Pierre Budar, the Reds are lacking confidence. The partial program of Craig Breen, who will have to give up his place to Sébastien Loeb over three rounds, puts pressure on Kris Meeke since the Northern Irishman will be the only driver from the French brand to be entered in all the events on the calendar.

However, Kris Meeke has bad memories of the Monte-Carlo Rally since he made a mistake in the fourth special last year when he was trapped by a patch of ice.

“It couldn't have started worse last year at Monte-Carlo, admitted Kris Meeke in a pre-race press conference. We now approach the start of the season with humility. I think we did a good job taking advantage of good conditions in testing. I feel calm and relaxed. You can't anticipate things too much in Monte-Carlo. We just have to look at the sky and hope we get the right tires. »

In this exercise, the local pilot Sébastien Ogier is rather talented since he remains on four consecutive victories. Kris Meeke is aware that the condition of the roads is the most important parameter even if half of the route has been renewed compared to last year.

“You never know what the conditions will be like depending on the altitude, said the winner of the last rallies in Mexico and Catalonia. We did some reconnaissance (the day before) yesterday. The road was completely dry and we had a good pace in terms of grades, but it could very well be covered in snow when we return this Saturday. It's the weather and not the stage that is most important here. The roads are quite similar apart from those located to the south like Turini. »