Your opinion about Dani Sordo

[jens]

This is the thread about the guy, who showed a lot of promise already during his first WRC season in 2006, got a bit less attention in 2007 and now is into his 3rd full WRC season. Time to deliver? On tarmac he has shown that at times he can even match Loeb. He hasn't been that great on gravel, but has been improving gradually, achieving several podiums at the end of last year on that surface and showed good pace in Sweden this year - rally, where he was expected to struggle. But instead of 'struggle' he could have been the best non-Ford without that 5-minute time penalty.

As the majority of the WRC calendar consists of gravel events, then the decisive rallies are about to come, where he should show further improving. Maybe Sordo has been a bit overlooked - after all he has the strongest possible team-mate, who makes him to look not that great. For example Hirvonen and Latvala get more attention, but as Loeb is not their team-mate, he is also not their direct benchmark.

What do you think about that Spaniard? Will he ever become a title contender?

[Tomski]

Until he can beat Loeb on tarmac he'll never be champ. I can't understand why Citroen have two tarmac drivers in the team. I appreciate Loeb can now win on any surface, but his strength in tarmac, why have another specialist in the team? If they want to win the manufacturers title as well as the drivers they need a gravel driver as well.

[Tomi]

I dont think he ever will be a serious title contender, the learning curve is too slow, will be interesting to see now in mexico how he does, he has good start position there.

[bluuford]

I think that he is future world rally champion (I am not kidding). And I think that he is faster than Loeb on some tarmac events. But he is not allowed to win on tarmac until Loeb is in front. And like Aava said, C4 is built for tarmac driving and they are both (he and Sordo) struggling a bit to get the grips with the car on the other surfaces. I think that we are going to see some surprises in Mexico.. Loeb not on the top for instance :-)

[A.F.F.]

I think Aava's C4 is a bit different than official C4s.

What comes to Sordo, he basicly has improved on gravel but maybe slower than expected ? Or at least, I expected. World champion ?? Well, why not, anything is possible in rallying but when the Loeb-era ends, he has Hirvonen and Latvala and maybe others too to battle with. That means he should master gravel the way he masters tarmac. And I'm not sure if he'll run out of time :mark:

[MrJan]

I first instinct is that he just isn't quick enough and only does as well as he does because of the car. However I used to think that Mikko would never amount to much but look how he has come on.

Jury's out at the minute but I'd be tempted to put a more experience driver in the factory seat and keep Sordo in a Xsara.

[DonJippo]

What comes to Sordo, he basicly has improved on gravel but maybe slower than expected ? Or at least, I expected. World champion ??

Same here was expecting him to improve faster on gravel than what he has shown so far.

[N]

Citroen want a Spanish and a French driver for marketing purposes. Secondly, Dani is a good driver, he is still young, but I think he'll show some speed this year.

[alleskids]

I think Sordo is feeling unsecure when driving on 90 %., and he have to make sure he is scoring team points. Sordo isordered to drive steady, in Loebs shadow, not passing him. When Citroen will unlease him, and he can drive 100 % he will win rallies, just like Horvonen does now, and he will show why Citroen was choicing him after his Junior wins and why he had te label of future world champion. Sordo is not good in driving carefully, it is not doing his driving style any good.

[Tomi]

I think Sordo is feeling unsecure when driving on 90 %., and he have to make sure he is scoring team points. Sordo isordered to drive steady, in Loebs shadow, not passing him. When Citroen will unlease him, and he can drive 100 % he will win rallies, just like Horvonen does now, and he will show why Citroen was choicing him after his Junior wins and why he had te label of future world champion. Sordo is not good in driving carefully, it is not doing his driving style any good.

Every second driver in the other teams has the same orders to get points aswell, i dont think that Sordo is supposed to let them pass as well.
I think he is in many ways like Panizzi, good on tarmac but on gravel average.

[MJW]

Its a confidence thing - I believe Sordo is fast enough to beat Loeb on asphalt but I fear Citroen will never allow a tem mate to beat Loeb. Based on that I think he will never "make it" to the top.

[Tomi]

Its a confidence thing - I believe Sordo is fast enough to beat Loeb on asphalt but I fear Citroen will never allow a tem mate to beat Loeb. Based on that I think he will never "make it" to the top.

That is for sure they wont, no point to let him challenge Loeb either, even if he would win all the tarmac rounds he would not have a chance to win the championship.

[pino]

I must admit that Sordo did impress me a lot last year in Monte, and I even started a thread about it, unfortunatelly he never impressed me again since. I maybe wrong but I don't think he will ever win a title...

[AndyRAC]

The guy has talents but I'm not sure he's good enough on gravel at the moment. If there were 3 car teams then I wouldn't have a problem with him being in the team, however I can't see him taking the fight to Ford on gravel if Loeb had a problem. Citroen could do with a better gravel driver.

[J4MIE]

I am just glad that Citroen chose him over Pons :up:

I don't think he's too bad, give him time and he will show more speed. Just like most of the other drivers too.

[GigiGalliNo1]

I use to think he was going to be the next Carlos Sainz, but only cause he was a Spaniard! haha

But tru like others say, Team Citroen wont let him beat Loeb. Shame though, I see some potential in Dani, but then again you have a few drivers now people are looking out for. And he has some competition. Wow, there are a few drivers out there. It seems so weird!

[tmx]

i think he is more boring than loeb.

[smolvar]

Think Duval, but Spanish.
Second fiddle, frequent crashes, ultimately forgotten.

[L5->R5/CR]

I think there might be a culture within the Citroen Sport team that makes it very difficult for a young driver to find their confidence and speed in the WRCar.

With Loeb being as dominant as he has been I can only wonder what kind of impact this has on a driver, especially one that has some real gaps in his experience and comfort level with regards to the WRC.

Think about it for a moment. Here is Dani, we know he has the speed on tarmca, and has one of the best cars, but he needs time to develop. Mix that with maybe a need for some mental experience as well and he has a lot of pressure to deliver results he might not be capable of (because of the glimmers of speed as well as having such a fantastic car) mixxed in with the team's expectations of solid points finishes. That is a lot of different pressures for a driver to cope with as well as learn and become faster.

In my opinion the best thing that happened to Mikko was his struggling with the Subaru. With it leading to his departure it gave him a little more time to work on the mental aspects of the sport. After the private events he was much more prepared to deal with being the second driver. Mikko learned how to drive to finish while going as fast as possible and had the lack of pressure of trying to measure up to a world champion in a car that is supposed to deliver a championship (Subaru was at that point the defending drivers cup team and Petter the defending world champ).

With all of that said I am not sure if Dani will ever be able to develop into a driver that can win a title while the number two for Citroen. In a lot of ways I think the pressures and environment in Citroen will always hold Dani back from exploring what remaining potential he has or from going that last step to being a championship contender.

[Brother John]

i think he is more boring than loeb.

Boring? but then he is in the perfectly team! Boring Car, boring drivers, boring team, boring colors. What do you wants still more? :D i´m keep on to laugh ;)

My opinion, Sordo will be always an eternal Second wheel in wrc and i don´t see him as future world champion.

[Langdale Forest]

Sordo will probably be a tarmac specilist, like Panizzi was.

[AndyRAC]

Boring? but then he is in the perfectly team! Boring Car, boring drivers, boring team, boring colors. What do you wants still more? :D i´m keep on to laugh ;)

My opinion, Sordo will be always an eternal Second wheel in wrc and i don´t see him as future world champion.

Agree with boring. They are a boring team, and a boring company. Can't really be accused of cashing in on the WRC success, as their cars are dull as ditchwater.

[N.O.T]

he must start to show improvement on gravel as well if he wants to keep that 2nd official car. I had high hopes but i must admit they are starting to fade.

On tarmac he is second to none.

[MJW]

Sordo needs to move from Citroen to progress. If he was with Ford, or even in the new Subaru and allowed to drive out of Loeb's shadow we might see what he has got. My personal views are that anyone who shares Loeb's Citroen team is in a worse position than being Schumacher's team mate at Ferrari.

[Vilkavainen]

For me he´s the opposite to Nordic drivers. All the Nordic have difficulties on tarmac and are amazingly fast on gravel.

Why? Because their school has been driving on gravel and ice. Meanwhile, Sordo´s unique school has been the Spanish tarmac champ, taking part in a few gravel events. Maybe that´s his main problem, he´s learning what his main contenders allready know.

He´s got time to improve yet and step by step, I think that he will be fighting for the WRC title in some years.

[Tom206wrc]

Agree with boring. They are a boring team, and a boring company. Can't really be accused of cashing in on the WRC success, as their cars are dull as ditchwater.



I don't see in what Citroën would be more boring than Ford or Subaru... :rolleyes:

[pino]

I don't see in what Citroën would be more boring than Ford or Subaru... :rolleyes:

They are boring because they are winning too much ;)

[tmx]

For me he´s the opposite to Nordic drivers. All the Nordic have difficulties on tarmac and are amazingly fast on gravel.

Why? Because their school has been driving on gravel and ice. Meanwhile, Sordo´s unique school has been the Spanish tarmac champ, taking part in a few gravel events. Maybe that´s his main problem, he´s learning what his main contenders allready know.

He´s got time to improve yet and step by step, I think that he will be fighting for the WRC title in some years.

well then he probably will have some success transfer his talent to in circuit racing. like loeb, was it 2006 that he drove in lemans first time? and in a p1 car at that and finished 2nd.

[MrJan]

[quote="J4MIE"]I am just glad that Citroen chose him over Pons :up: [quote]

Wasn't the toughest decision though was it? Young lad with talent and promise who maybe lacks confidence v bloke who crashes all the time but it's always the fault of the co-driver ;)

[Tomi]

it's good to remember that the other young drivers improve too, not only Sordo, therefore it does not so good for him.

[MikeD]

I don't see in what Citroën would be more boring than Ford or Subaru... :rolleyes:

Forget it Tom206wrc. There is this anti-Loeb, anti-Citroen and anti-french movement in here that's getting really annoying, boring and pathetic.

But you and I (and a few others in here) can celebrate the titles, and that's a lot more fun that being a pathetic loser :D

[playmo]

Was starting to wonder why i read this thread....
Why is that all nordic people around here bash dani? ok, it's not the best driver around, bout he's been in the shadow of Loeb since he stepped up from JWRC (and i wonder why his c4 is the one that always fails), c'mon that's got to count...
Deffinitely, in Ford, he would have won his first event already, (i'm going to step on dangerous ground now) look at latvala!, seems to me like "early" Mikko or Duval.
He's good (top 4 or 5) but needs a lot of improvement and a loose on the leach.
Note that i have no fav driver (but i do have ill feelings for some other drivers).
Cheers.

[pucky54]

Sordo will probably be a tarmac specilist, like Panizzi was.

He will NEVER reach the level of Panizzi on tarmac

[DonJippo]

Was starting to wonder why i read this thread....
Why is that all nordic people around here bash dani?

Bash Sordo? Care to point out where in here you see bashing?

[Finni]

I dont think he ever will be a serious title contender, the learning curve is too slow, will be interesting to see now in mexico how he does, he has good start position there.

I wouldn't say that for instance Hirvonen's learning curve was any faster. Altough I suspect that Mikko will never win championship.

[Finni]

In my view we should still note that Dani has drove only two seasons with wrc-car. Hirvonen for instance didn't deliver in his second wrc-season. But I agree that it's now time to start delivering for Sordo. I expect that Sordo will fight podium at least in some gravel rallies. Last year he was really good in Greece but then didn't improve.

[Tomi]

Altough I suspect that Mikko will never win championship.

Same here, he has about 2 years time after that Latvala beats him every where.

[A.F.F.]

Bash Sordo? Care to point out where in here you see bashing?

I was about to say the same :confused:

The standards of bashing are really twisted on this forum. :rolleyes:

[playmo]

Fine, some of the comments i read here seem like bashing to me, no need to start a fire!, i feel that the best drivers are finns (that's no a$$-licking), none the less, this debate about if he'll ever be champ seems without end being him in that team at the same time as Seb.

Take no offence to anyone please, this is rallying we're talkin' about here, not F1

[A.F.F.]

this is rallying we're talkin' about here, not F1


I salute you playmo :up:

[MrJan]

this debate about if he'll ever be champ seems without end being him in that team at the same time as Seb.

I think also without Mikko and Latvala in the championship who I feel have more natural talent on all surfaces. Sordo is a superb driver no doubt but I don't think he will ever be the best in the world.

[MJW]

Same here, he has about 2 years time after that Latvala beats him every where.

Your giving Mikko 2 years? I say end of this year for JML to be quicker and consistently.

[Tomi]

Your giving Mikko 2 years? I say end of this year for JML to be quicker and consistently.

Better wait and see, this Mexico maybe will give a hint.

[feresc13]

Sordo is a great tarmac rally driver, on that surface his level is closed to Loeb's one, but on gravel he needs to improve a lot, because by now there are more gravel events than tarmac ones and that's a handicap for him in the way to get World Champion some day.

[Whinlatter]

Dani is a good driver, but he'll never be champion whilst he's in the same team as Seb.

If he becomes team leader at some point, and the spread of events that season is biased towards asphalt, or he gets a bit of luck with JML or Mikko retiring from gravel events, then there's no reason why he can't be champion - but he doesn't look likely to beat the lead Ford drivers in a straight fight on gravel any more than they look like beating him on asphalt.

[Wim_Impreza]

Sordo had an accident in the first SS.

[Brother John]

Sordo had an accident in the first SS.

It becomes more and more terrible for him and Citroën!

[Tomi]

It becomes more and more terrible for him and Citroën!

what do you mean, to me it looks that he is doing his best to not put any stress on Loeb.

[AndyRAC]

That's why Ford will win the Manufacturer Title again. Sordo doesn't score consistent good points on gravel. And that is hurting Citroen - in the old days they'd have a Gravel specialist to help out, not now though.

[grugsticles]

IMO, Citroen seem to think that you can teach a tarmac specialist to drive on gravel and snow, where you cant teach a gravel specialist to drive on tarmac.
That approach worked for Loab, but somehow I dont think Sordo is the same.

I think they should invest their money/seat in another driver who is more of a gravel specialist.

[BDunnell]

Referring to the title of the thread, I don't really have an opinion on Dani Sordo. He's not someone whose performances generate strong opinions in me. He's neither brilliant nor crap (which I suppose is an opinion, but never mind!)

I suppose the key question is whether Citroen could have someone better in their line-up, and whether anyone better is available. If there isn't, that's a rather sad indictment on the feeder series and the WRC. No-one really springs to my mind.

[Brother John]

Referring to the title of the thread, I don't really have an opinion on Dani Sordo. He's not someone whose performances generate strong opinions in me. He's neither brilliant nor crap (which I suppose is an opinion, but never mind!)

I suppose the key question is whether Citroen could have someone better in their line-up, and whether anyone better is available. If there isn't, that's a rather sad indictment on the feeder series and the WRC. No-one really springs to my mind.

The problem is not only Sordo. I don´t want to say he´s a bad driver, we just wait for more constancy results.
The biggest problem for him is still the Citroën team (F) and their behaviour or arrogance. :rolleyes:

[Tomi]

I suppose the key question is whether Citroen could have someone better in their line-up, and whether anyone better is available. If there isn't, that's a rather sad indictment on the feeder series and the WRC. No-one really springs to my mind.

i dont think there is anymore, but at the time they signed sordo there was a few.

[BDunnell]

The biggest problem for him is still the Citroën team (F) and their behaviour or arrogance. :rolleyes:

In what way?

[Brother John]

In what way?

Open your eyes on the forum and look in the past, which says enough!
I know that I have a big mouth, but this is real life. :s mokin:

[jens]

I think he had a pretty good Jordan rally despite what happened on the last stage. Is his talent finally starting to unveil on gravel too?

[Wim_Impreza]

Everyone from the factory drivers had the same experience in this rally, so I think that is probably the reason why Sordo's performance was good.

[DonJippo]

Everyone from the factory drivers had the same experience in this rally, so I think that is probably the reason why Sordo's performance was good.

Not exactly, atleast Sordo did recce last year.

[L5->R5/CR]

Not exactly, atleast Sordo did recce last year.


So did Petter...

[Donney]

I think Jordan showed he has improved a lot on gravel, not that he is a top driver yet, but he did a fine rally and gave the Ford a harder time than they expected when Loeb was out.

[DonJippo]

So did Petter...

And he was on what position when his car broke down...

[Wim_Impreza]

Not exactly, atleast Sordo did recce last year.

Sorry, I didn't know that.