WRC – Mads Ostberg avoids Qatar WRT rout

Qatar WRT was aiming for the podium at Monte-Carlo with Evgeny Novikov, the Russian leading ahead of Dani Sordo at the start of the final stage of the event. But with a lead of only 1”7 over the Spaniard, the driver M-Sport had to maintain a high pace to maintain his chances of a top three finish against the Citroën driver. Victim of a collision in the same place as Jari-Matti Latvala's accident, the driver of Malcolm Wilson's team joined the list of retirements which already included Thierry Neuville. With the withdrawal of Juho Hänninen on this same course, Mads Ostberg represented the only hope of the British team. The winner of the Rally of Portugal was only able to salvage a sixth place after losing several minutes following contact which damaged his Ford Fiesta RS WRC in the second passage of Turini.

Mads Ostberg could have aimed for a top five finish without his mistake in SS16, but the Norwegian still managed to stand out by signing a scratch in the St Nazaire le Désert special (SS12) contested in the third stage. “I had never experienced such conditions”, commented the M-Sport driver upon arrival. “There was a good layer of snow but it was melted and we had no grip. The car kept sliding. We just tried to stay on the road in the first pass (of SS14)… The second stage (SS15) was good. There were a few slippery areas but at least we could ride. The following special stage (SS16: second passage of the Col de Turini) was, however, horrible. We hit a wall and had to stop on the stage to check that everything was okay. We bent something in the back of the car and lost about five minutes, but we only lost one position. Given the conditions encountered here, I am happy to have finished this rally and scored big points at the end of an event which was particularly tough for us. We learned a lot and progressed, which is positive. I am now waiting for Sweden, an event that I know very well. »

The disillusionment was palpable at M-Sport who lost big in the Col de Turini, but the performances shown by the drivers of the British team allow Malcolm Wilson to remain optimistic for the rest of the season. “The rally didn't end the way we wanted with Evgeny and Juho, but I think we can still take some positives from this event. All the drivers put in a superb performance and I think they all showed great potential. When you choose young drivers for an event like this, it's always a challenge to take on. Experience counts a lot here and even more this year with the worst conditions encountered in 20 years. The whole team is now focused on the next challenges. Having seen the performances of the youngsters, I am confident that we will be contenders for strong results as the season progresses. »

Discover the analysis of the Monte-Carlo Rally carried out by our special correspondents in the next issue of AUTOhebdo, available from Tuesday in digital version for iPad, PC and Mac, and from Wednesday on newsstands.