WRC Updates - Kubica becomes Ford driver for a full 2014 season!

"Fred (FreddsterExprs)" (freddsterexprs)
12/13/2013 at 05:42 • Filed to: WRC, 2014, Kubica

Today Robert Kubica, ex-F1 driver, signed a contract at M-Sport. He will be driving a Ford Fiesta WRC for the 2014 season. Lotos stayed as his sponsor to make it all possible. This is great news for the sympathic pole who still suffers from the injuries he experienced in a 2011 rally crash. It eventually cost him a promising F1 career, but after winning the WRC2 championship in his rookie year things are looking up for him.

The Fiesta WRC will receive a mostly cosmetical upgrade for next year (Aston Martin Grill!) but proved to be a competitive car when in the hands of Thierry Neuville who managed to secure 2nd place in the World Drivers Championship.

Citroen meanwhile decided that after a disastrous season and the end of the Loeb era it was time for completley new faces in the DS3 WRC. Kris Meeke, who only competed in 10 events with a WRC car, and Mads Östberg, who is coming from M-Sport Ford, replace Hirvonen and Sordo. It is quite a risk, but Meeke proved that he is a fast driver when he showed top 5 pace in his first outing in the Citroen DS3. Östberg won a rally back in 2012 as a privateer but had a season of bad luck in 2013.

The above mentioned Thierry Neuville is the surprise of the season. The 25-year old belgian was both fast and - crucial for rally racing - consistent. He quickly became the most important figure on the drivers market. In the end the new Hyundai works team made the deal and will put him in a i20 WRC. The second car will be driven by 3 drivers: Citroen-fired asphalt specialist Dani Sordo, Subaru veteran Chris Atkinson and finish test driver Hänninen.

Reining champions Volkswagen know that you don't change a winning team: Again Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen will be behind the wheel of the mighty Polo WRC. Ogier filled the hole Loeb left with dominance, but maybe it woun't be as easy for him this year.

The only question left right now is what Hirvonen will do. He is a very experienced driver and could challenge Loeb back when he was driving a works Ford. A comeback to the blue oval team is in the cards and could make for a very capable team with Kubica.

What do you think, who made the right decision and who didn't? I don't think that Hyundai will be able to make such a competitive first season as VW did, they will definetley need some learning time. Ford could be the surprise of the season if they can get a 2nd good driver behind Kubica. Hirvonen would be perfect as they would have him for experience and consistance and Kubica for raw speed.

EDIT: Hirvonen was just announced as the driver of a 2nd Fiesta by M-Sport. Evans as well. So 3 Fiestas for Ford.

Here is a compact overview how it plays out for the new Rally season:

VW
Polo WRC #1 Sebastien Ogier
Polo WRC #2 Jari Matti Latvala
Polo WRC #3 Andreas Mikkelsen

Ford/M-Sport
Fiesta WRC #1 Robert Kubica
Fiesta WRC #2 Mikko Hirvonen
Fiesta WRC #3 Elfyn Evans

Citroen
DS3 WRC #1 Mads Östberg
DS3 WRC #2 Kris Meeke

Hyundai
i20 N WRC #1 Thierry Neuville
i20 N WRC #2 Dani Sordo/Hänninen/Chris Atkinson

DISCUSSION (11)

WorldRally17 > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
12/13/2013 at 08:18

I'm pretty sure Ford signed Elfyn Evans as well, at least according the WRC's website.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > WorldRally17
12/13/2013 at 09:59

You are completley right, going to add him to the overview.

WorldRally17 > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
12/13/2013 at 10:30

I really hope Hyundai's WRC attempt goes a lot better than their last attempt with the Accident. I was impressed with Neuville this year and I really want to see him do well next year.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > WorldRally17
12/13/2013 at 11:13

Your hope is understandable, and I think that it will work far better this time. Here is why:
a) Hyundais financial conditions are good if not excelent. They really have the funding and invested thorough it into their WRC program. Technical ressources are sufficent and they did a lost of testing which proved the way to go if you take a look at VW.
b) With Neuville they could get the only man to challenge Ogier in speed/consistency right now. And he did it in the private M-Sport team. Now that he as manufacturer backing on his side he will grow even more confident and that little bit faster. He also can get the car properly adjusted to his needs.
c) Dani Sordo is an asphalt god, so he will be able to develop and set up the i20 to rival Citroens superior asphalt pace.
d) Atkinson is able to support development on a good rally car thanks to his experience in years of WRC.
e) They know what their goals are: Finishing the event, and later on in the season fights for the podium.

Can't wait for Monte Carlo, my money is on Sordo. I remember his 2011 performance in the brand new Mini where he was only beaten by Loeb.

Dusty Ventures > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
12/13/2013 at 12:56

Actually at M-Sport/Ford it's #1 Hirvonen, #2 Evans, #3 and technically on a separate, second M-Sport team Kubica. The reason Kubica's on the second team is Lotos. Lotos is a Polish oil company and therefore clashes with Castrol, one of M-Sport's top official sponsors for the better part of a decade.

As for predictions: Ogier's going to win it all again. He is, annoyingly, the best driver and VW is (allegedly) outspending the other teams €2-to-€1. Latvala will alternate between podiums and discovering rocks in the middle of the road, same as always.

Citroen's heart (and wallet) hasn't been in it since Loeb left (seriously, you're going to tell me Hirvonen got that much worse all by himself? He went from 7 runner up finishes and podiums at 11 of 13 events in 2012 to barely making top 5 in 2013. No way he lost that much speed on his own), and Meeke's finishing record makes Ken Block look like the cleanest driver in the world (10 starts, only 3 finishes for Meeke). Maybe Kris Krash will figure out how to keep it on the road, but I have no reason to expect any real consistency from him. Østberg could be an occasional threat but will likely mostly be a 5th place car.

Mikko will either kick ass, proving my Citroen conspiracy theory correct, or struggle to match pace of the podium drivers, suggesting perhaps the next generation of car and driver have passed him. Evans is a wild card, no idea what to expect there. Kubica has proven he's fast, now it will be about consistency in a top tier car. He could be the star of the season if he keeps it on the road.

Anyone hoping Hyundai's rookie season will be anywhere near as good as VW is forgetting VW's "rookie year" is more like their fifth or sixth year when you factor in their factory Skoda program that has been dominating the S2000 series. Neuville is incredibly good, but it will take time for him and the team to get the car sorted. He could have a stellar second half of the season, but the first half will be up and down. Sordo will be a threat on tarmac, Atko will probably get a few top 5's, Hanninen is as much of a wild card as Evans, but at least he knows the car.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Dusty Ventures
12/13/2013 at 13:21

Totaly forgot about Castrol. Makes sense, and actually every team consists of 2 cars, so VWs Mikkelsen Car is running as VW Motorsport 2.

You are right about Loeb and Citroen: They did everything he wanted for him. As soon as he was serious about WTCC they built the car and they right now spare no expense in development.

Ogier will become world champion, no doubt. And you are right again about VWs "Rookie year" - they even had 2 official works Fabias in 2012, so thats a different thing for Hyundai.

Mikko has had a bad year, that's it. He still is fast, and WRC also needs experience, so the step to Ford should be right. He really performed well in the Fiesta back in 2011. Even with less budget he should have done better in 2013 - he knew the car by then too well to blame it on missing effort by Citroen.

If Hirvonen gets it together I see Ford in a super strong position. Kubica is fast and learning quickly as seen in WRC2. Evans, well, we will see. If it goes well we will have 2 fast Fords against 1 super fast Polo and 1 super fast/randomly crashing on a straight Polo.

Dusty Ventures > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
12/13/2013 at 13:32

Yeah, I didn't mention Mikkelsen and WRC2 because if next year is anything like this year he'll pretty much be a nonfactor.

Mikko had a bad year, yes, same thing happened to him in 2010, pace just wasn't there. But I still think the car wasn't quite as quick as last year, just because of the way he was consistently slower than the other top drivers every single event.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Dusty Ventures
12/13/2013 at 13:33

I don't think the car got slower - It is just that the rest got faster. DS3s weren't even was dominant on asphalt as before.

Dusty Ventures > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
12/13/2013 at 13:44

If M-Sport, with their relative shoestring budget, manages to get faster and Citroen doesn't that still suggests to me Citroen isn't trying as hard as they should be

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Dusty Ventures
12/13/2013 at 13:52

It is like Peugeot and Audi in the good old LMP1 days. Audi had twice the budget and could always spend even more if needed (2009/2010 f.e.), but still Peugeot - after a learning period that was 2 years - was right on their tail and even beat them in 16 out of 18 races 2010 and 2011 (only lost Le Mans twice).

That says something about the creativity and passion of the then active Peugeot Sport Team, and the same goes for M-Sport. If Citroen drops the pressure just a bit they get in trouble, just like this year.

Capt. Janeway's Imaginary Cat > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
12/17/2013 at 03:13

This is great news as the Focus is great looking and can be sporty but god damn it if I am not upset about one of my favorite F1 drivers since... Hakkinen or J Villeneuve, around that time. He was Polish (rare), an underdog, somewhat awkward and nerdy, and drove for my favorite team back then (BMW/Williams) with so much potential and then the frickin' rally accident. I think had he continued in F1 without that accident, he would be driving for Ferrari, Red Bull, or McLaren. This is one of the greatest let downs in my opinion. He showed massive talent and was on the verge of greatness. Oh well, despite it, it makes me happy to hear that he is doing so well with rally cars because it's one of my favorite motorsports right up there with Le Mans. It just pains me to think of what he could have been. A Shakespearean tragedy in the field of motorsports. Argh.