There’s been plenty of speculation focusing on the WRC driver market in recent weeks, after Hyundai re-signed by Ott Tanak and Thierry Neuville for next season.
The Estonian had been widely tipped to re-join the M-Sport / Ford squad to drive the new generation of hybrid WRC cars, but that is no longer possible.
It has left the British squad with some difficult decisions regarding who leads their team when the 2022 series comes around in January.
When the current breed of World Rally Cars debuted in 2017, Malcolm Wilson pulled a rabbit out of his hat by signing World Champion Sebastien Ogier.
Four and a half years on though, it doesn’t appear that Wilson will have that luxury.
There are plenty of drivers still on the short list, although not many of them are seen as WRC title hopefuls in the short term.
Elfyn Evans has driven for the team before and is currently at the top of his game, but it would appear unlikely that the Welshman is ready to walk away from the winning Toyota team.
M-Sport’s current crop of drivers, Teemu Suninen, Gus Greensmith and Adrien Fourmaux will all be in the running, but none of them are anywhere close to being at a winning level in the WRC
Both Greensmith and Fourmaux were super impressive in Portugal last weekend, where they finished fifth and sixth, but neither is yet any more than a solid #2 driver.
Suninen, on the other hand, has showed promise, but has never delivered on the potential that experts still think he has. He’ll need some strong results before the end of this season just to in the running against his team-mates.
Malcolm Wilson has stated that he wants a driver who can win the championship, but who that will be we’re still no closer to knowing.
Could Ogier give it one more season and reunite with M-Sport, or will they pick up another top-line driver such as Craig Breen, Andreas Mikkelsen, or go back to the well with Esapekka Lappi?
Only time will tell.
Main picture: Adrien Fourmax finished sixth in Portugal.
The Bates show continues
Harry Bates and his Toyota GR Yaris AP4 are currently uncatchable in Australia, with the young Canberra star extending his domination in Queensland last weekend.
After winning in Canberra in April, Bates again won all 12 of the rally’s special stages to take a commanding victory over his brother, Lewis, in an identical Toyota.
The Bates procession is similar to that of Hayden Paddon in New Zealand, and it shows no signs of slowing.
Young-gun Arron Windus came good on the promise that he’s shown in recent seasons by finishing third outright in a Subaru Impreza WRX, outpacing the similar car of Molly Taylor until her engine failed.
The much heralded Australian Rally Championship debut of Max McRae didn’t go unnoticed either, and while the 16-year old Western Australian didn’t win his class, he showed plenty of speed in his Ford Fiesta R2.
McRae finished in second place, just under two minutes behind another Fiesta R2, driven by Queenslander Ryan Williams.
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