WRC – Kris Meeke fired by Citroën

We can no longer count the number of Kris Meeke's off-track events in the World Rally Championship. But even more so this season, when he is supposed to be the leader of the Citroën Racing WRT. The latest, certainly one of the most violent of his career, last week in Portugal.

« Due to too frequent exits from the road, some of which, particularly violent, could have had serious consequences for the safety of the crew while the risk-taking was not justified by sporting issues, the Citroën Racing WRT team decided to end the participation of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle in the championship WRC 2018. » justifies the French manufacturer.

If the rafter firm has long decided to continue to trust the fiery Irishman, the idyll is now over. Even more than the lack of results – after six rounds, Meeke is only eighth in the general classification, with only one podium, in Mexico – we can bet that Citroën was somewhat frightened by its driver's last crash.

« This decision was not easy to make because it impacts a driver and a co-driver but it is largely motivated by safety requirements which are part of my concerns as Team Principal, underlines Pierre Budar, director of Citroën Racing. We therefore prefer to take this decision as a preventative measure. »

In Sardinia (June 7-10), Citroën will, as expected, trust the pairs Craig Breen-Scott Martin and Mads Ostberg-Torstein Eriksen. Plans for the following rounds remain to be defined, but this decision could be a godsend for the Norwegian, whose consistency everyone praises.