WRC – Latvala feared a counterattack from Citroën

Jari-Matti Latvala returned to victory at Wales Rally GB, giving Ford WRT its first victory since Rally from Sweden. If the Finn has given up on his title chances, it is a return to favor for the resident of Malcolm Wilson's team who was impatiently waiting to be able to measure himself against the Citroën DS3 WRC. The French cars indeed suffered from a lack of grip in the first two stages of the event. “I think generally speaking all the Fords were very competitive in this event.”, comments the winner who is celebrating his second success this year. “Petter (Solberg) had a fantastic start and led on the first two stages. I then took over arriving at my favorite stage, Myherin (SS3), and things started to come together. We have been working on the rear suspension of the car since Rally Finland as we were concerned about the dominance of the Citroëns and we have achieved positive results. I wasn't really as comfortable in Finland as I was here. »

If the Ford WRT driver managed his lead during the three days of Wales Rally GB, he admits that he kept in mind a possible return to the front of the Citroën drivers, and more particularly Sébastien Loeb customary of the fact. The Fiesta RS WRC driver therefore maintained a high pace even though the eight-time world champion admitted midway through the second stage that he could no longer catch the leader of the event. “I was never relaxed, even when I was in the lead. I was always preparing for a return like in Star Wars and the Empire Strikes Back. I was prepared for it when it happened. It was helpful even though it never happened. I was only able to start breathing in the afternoon (of the last stage). Even in the morning I was expecting an attack after learning that they had made changes with their settings. »

Discover the analysis of Wales Rally GB carried out by our special correspondent in the next issue of AUTOhebdo, available from tomorrow in digital version for iPad, PC and Mac, and on newsstands from Wednesday.