M-Sport Ford WRC team thinks it has low-grip fix after Argentina

Reigning World Rally champion team M-Sport Ford says it has identified issues with low-grip stages that caused its Fiestas' lacklustre performance on the last WRC round in Argentina

Malcolm Wilson's team believes the problem was specific to certain conditions and will not be repeated when the WRC returns to Europe in Portugal this week.

Sebastien Ogier was a distant fourth in Argentina, with team-mate Elfyn Evans three minutes off the lead in sixth.

A year earlier, Evans had come within seven tenths of a second of winning the event when on DMACK tyres - which Wilson said gave M-Sport a clue about why its Michelin-shod main team had been off the pace.

"It seems we were struggling a little bit with low grip," Wilson told Autosport.

"It was the same last year. Yes, Elfyn was a minute clear in Argentina [in 2017] at the end of day one, but where were Seb and Ott [Tanak] in the other cars? They weren't nearly as competitive and it was the same in Wales last year.

"So we have to look at the grip Elfyn had.

"We're absolutely not going to say anything about Michelin, everybody else had the same tyre.

"As you can imagine, the guys here have been looking and studying to find out what was going on and they've got some ideas.

"We've found a better solution for the differential set-up which will give better traction and they've come up with some more from the suspension - small detail things. They're not too worried."

Wilson denied winning three of the first four rounds had caused complacency at M-Sport.

"No, I don't think there was any kind of complacency at all," he said.

"But maybe you're right in one way that it's sharpened us all up a bit. We're ready for the next one now."

Ogier still leads the WRC standings by 10 points over Hyundai's Thierry Neuville, with M-Sport 15 points adrift of Hyundai in the manufacturers' championship.

An FIA verdict on M-Sport's appeal against Ogier's 10-second penalty for hitting a chicane on the Rally Mexico powerstage is still awaited.

If the penalty is overturned, Ogier would gain four points for being second fastest on the bonus-points stage.

shares
comments

Triple ERC champion Kajetanowicz makes WRC2 move with R5 Fiesta

Part-time Loeb unlikely to fit into Citroen's 2019 WRC plans

How Tanak and M-Sport nailed Chile tactics to end their WRC barren spell

How Tanak and M-Sport nailed Chile tactics to end their WRC barren spell

Plus
Plus
WRC
Rally Chile
Tom Howard

How Tanak and M-Sport nailed Chile tactics to end their WRC barren spell How Tanak and M-Sport nailed Chile tactics to end their WRC barren spell

How the WRC saw a different side to Rovanpera in his latest Acropolis triumph

How the WRC saw a different side to Rovanpera in his latest Acropolis triumph

Plus
Plus
WRC
Rally Greece
Tom Howard

How the WRC saw a different side to Rovanpera in his latest Acropolis triumph How the WRC saw a different side to Rovanpera in his latest Acropolis triumph

How iconic cars from each WRC era compare at the hands of Petter Solberg

How iconic cars from each WRC era compare at the hands of Petter Solberg

Plus
Plus
WRC
Tom Howard

How iconic cars from each WRC era compare at the hands of Petter Solberg How iconic cars from each WRC era compare at the hands of Petter Solberg

How the WRC title race was ignited by Evans in Finland

How the WRC title race was ignited by Evans in Finland

Plus
Plus
WRC
Rally Finland
Tom Howard

How the WRC title race was ignited by Evans in Finland How the WRC title race was ignited by Evans in Finland

How Rovanpera reached a Loeb-like level in Estonia WRC domination

How Rovanpera reached a Loeb-like level in Estonia WRC domination

Plus
Plus
WRC
Rally Estonia
Tom Howard

How Rovanpera reached a Loeb-like level in Estonia WRC domination How Rovanpera reached a Loeb-like level in Estonia WRC domination

How Ogier held his nerve to repeat Toyota's Safari WRC rout

How Ogier held his nerve to repeat Toyota's Safari WRC rout

Plus
Plus
WRC
Rally Kenya
Tom Howard

How Ogier held his nerve to repeat Toyota's Safari WRC rout How Ogier held his nerve to repeat Toyota's Safari WRC rout

The Neuville splash and grab that ends Hyundai’s WRC win drought

The Neuville splash and grab that ends Hyundai’s WRC win drought

Plus
Plus
WRC
Rally Italy
Tom Howard

The Neuville splash and grab that ends Hyundai’s WRC win drought The Neuville splash and grab that ends Hyundai’s WRC win drought

How Rovanpera fired the WRC a timely reminder of his class in Portugal

How Rovanpera fired the WRC a timely reminder of his class in Portugal

Plus
Plus
WRC
Rally Portugal
Tom Howard

How Rovanpera fired the WRC a timely reminder of his class in Portugal How Rovanpera fired the WRC a timely reminder of his class in Portugal

Subscribe