Silly Season 2025

[mknight]

Breen to MSport fulltime was announced 6. October 2021.

Similarly Tanak leaving MSport for Hyundai was announced 3. October 2023.

So it's still a coin toss.

[COD]

It would be great to See M-Sport with Evans and Fourmaux permanent and then third car split for Munster and some others

[saco0o]

off topic but Ford hired Matthias Ekstrom to run the Raptor in Dakar. Nice!
Sainz and Nani Roma are also part of that team run by Msport.
...guess money "to hire drivers" and to "help develop the car" was not a problem for ford, its just that wrc is not interesting enough =[

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Hyundai will name their 3rd driver(s) earliest and then we'll know. If it's not Fourmaux then he stays at M-Sport.

[deephouse]

off topic but Ford hired Matthias Ekstrom to run the Raptor in Dakar. Nice!
Sainz and Nani Roma are also part of that team run by Msport.
...guess money "to hire drivers" and to "help develop the car" was not a problem for ford, its just that wrc is not interesting enough =[

Ford claims that they are interested in offroad racing. They said that they would be in a works team in Dakar with M-Sport since they are the perfect team for achieving good things with their products, and then also said that if the rules fit them, they will invest in WRC, so I still cross fingers that FIA will check their boxes.

What I'm more concerned is that Ford will partner Redbull in F1 to develop engine there (2026). This could mean that bosses could relocate all the money and M-Sport would again stay dry...

[becher]

In F1 Ford will have barely more input then sticking it's name on the engine and car and paying a nice big fee to RBR.

[macebig]

For now, Red Bull and Ford deal is helping M-Sport. They have gained valuable sponsorship and visibility through RB and their marketing channels. And I think M-Sport as a company only has to gain from a good RB-Ford partnership. As for WRC, it depends. If RB keeps promoter rights, M-Sport will definitely line up.

[deephouse]

Glad to see that Redbull in WRC appears on some other cars than the best ones, as it was always the case. Or one time I saw some racing where there were like 3 or 4 different car brands and all had Redbull all over their cars. It looked stupid seeing the same colors racing to each other (they weren't in the same teams).

[flat_right]

My guess is that Fourmaux will stay with M-Sport. He would would be the lead driver (unless Evans joins), and he would probably have more influence over team decisions than he would at Hyundai. Plus, the future of Hyundai after 2025 is uncertain, so M-Sport may have offered him a 2+1 contract. Additionally, the Hyundai car is known to be difficult to drive.

[deephouse]

Possibly only for a year. Based on the results (if he would be bad there) they could change their tactics lower his full-time program and bring someone else to the team. Then what. Leave at the end of 2025. Some private teams take over for a year with underdeveloped cars (probably they will not develop anymore if they decide they will leave), and I'm sure with not so much money, there will not be more than 2 cars on the grid. 2027 this private team will be gone if not earlier.

And he wants the thing everyone wants. Being a world champion. Sorry but in Hyundai he will never be. Neuville being there the god, slowly being outpaced by Tanak, he will never have powers to being up there. Not in a year.

He is where he should be. In M-Sport. And I believe he gets some payment there, enough to live comfortably. Based on this year results he could bring some new sponsors money and maybe next year help to sell more cars and Malcolm will surely give him some credit.

I think that Hyundai should pick up two drivers and rotate them by each rally, so they would stay sharp.