If they added power without increasing the aero grip, the cars might be harder to drive, but you wouldn't get much of a spectacle. You'd just get cars that aren't much faster than an R5 because drivers would have to consciously limit the throttle input.
Well, if I was going to assume that I could assess it based on its performance on the single most unique event of the season and take that assessment as representative of the car's performance for the rest of the season, I would point out that it's been easily bested by the Hyundai and it looks like the Fiesta will catch them fairly easily.How bout that Toyota @prisonermonkeys
We know he's quick when he's focused. He's just prone to mistakes when he's under pressure. In that sense, joining Volkswagen was a mistake - he might have had the fastest car, but his position within the team was perpetually under threat because Ogier and Mikkelsen could easily usurp him. I wonder what would have happened if he moved to Hyundai instead; the i20 would not have been as fast as the Polo, but the team would have been a very productive environment for him. Moving to Toyota has given him a whole lot of breathing space; Hänninen can't challenge him, and Lappi's focus will be on getting up to speed.
Or you can just say they're doing great. Regardless of the fact that they're new. And Latvala sits in the lead of the second day, driving pretty well but somewhat carefully to his own admission. Not sure why, but it seems like a big deal for you to admit that they have actual pace. If the Fiesta was going to catch them fairly easily then why has it taken so long?
Oh, they have pace. I'm just not getting carried away with suggestions that they can regularly fight for podiums and wins, especially considering that the first three events are three of the four most unique events on the calendar - Monte Carlo is snow and ice on tarmac, Sweden is snow and ice over gravel, and Mexico is rough gravel at high altitude (the fourth unique rally is Spain, with its mid-rally surface change). You can't really assess the merits of a brand-new car based on those three events; Argentina is probably the first representative event since it's the first of five pure gravel rallies in a row (Argentina, Portugal, Sardegna, Poland and Finland).
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It's believed that he will join from Corsica, but may be held back until Portugal. There is some question as to the availability of cars.
If anyone can, it's Thierry Neuville. Provided that he keeps his nose clean. He should, by rights, be leading the championship with two wins.
Half right. Hänninen was signed months in advance, but Volkswagen did not panic. They had no reason to. They withdrew because they wanted to be seen as responsible in the aftermath of the emissions scandal - they couldn't be throwing millions of dollars at a motorsport programme while public opinion was against them.
Well, he needs to. Three rally-ending accidents in two events is never a good look, least of all when your team-mate takes a win and a podium in those same two events. I can understand Mäkinen's desire to keep a test and development driver in the car when there are still gains to be made, and I appreciate that Hänninen is coming back to the sport after an extended absence and that he is faced with two difficult rallies straight away, but I can't see him keeping his seat at the current rate.
