The margin of Malcolm Wilson, a true master in the decision making process and taken out of the sleeve budgets impossible to keep up with life at M-Sport with giants such as Volkswagen, Citroën, or Hyundai, if there is a formation that seems touched by a magic wand is the Citroën Racing. Under the command of belgian Yves Matton the French team it seems that everything he touches turned to gold, and to the decisions that a priori seem to go against their interests end up becoming points for. A statement of intent on their return in 2017.
Since the world is world and Citroën competing in the WRC, all of his decisions have been linked to the success. ‘quarry’ went out, Sébastien Loeb, Sébastien Ogier, Dani Sordo or Thierry Neuville, the titles have been falling one after the other and even when he has left the World on tiptoe to develop a new World Rally Car, the brand has continued winning. Passed with the support of PH-Sport when the team left the competition to work on the Citroën C4 WRC and has spent this year with a Kris Meeke who has shone with own light while working on the Citroën C3 WRC 2017.
With this background it is mandatory to question if the decision of not to count with Thierry Neuville and bet on the youth of Stéphane Lefebvre and Craig Breen is not successful, by a lot to count on a team formed by Kris Meeke and Thierry Neuville sounded very good. Yves Matton does not give stitch without thread and between paying a salary millionaire or keep for the same money to two young pearls, has opted for the latter. This decision can be read in many ways, but all you will end up being favorable to Citroën Racing.
The bet of Yves Matton by Lefebvre and Breen without a doubt goes with the spirit of the team to give an opportunity to new talents, but it is not something fortuitous. If Matton has decided to have both is that has seen ‘something more’ from what we can read of their times, or their results, in addition to having two swords to ride along with Kris Meeke, the three Citroën C3 WRC that will align finally the team in the wake of the new regulations. only align two C3, Neuville would have been the chosen one, but three cars, to optimize resources.
In this optimization of resources is very likely that Citroën Racing have to sacrifice the title of constructors in 2017 any time that will compete with only two cars at the first events of the season, which by pure chance may have an impact on score fewer points than Volkswagen and Hyundai, equipment you if will be his third World Rally Car from the Rally Monte carlo. However, it is something that is needed all time the budget drafted by the team he was destined to two cars and, therefore, the regulations in FIA of three cars overturned plans.
Yves Matton has already made it clear that he has a plan and that is synonymous with success in Citroën Racing. For the moment, the pattern belgian seems to have a clear path to follow in order to have the third unit of the Citroën C3 WRC as soon as possible and that may pass by the development meteoric rise of a new Citroën C3 R5 that comes to replace the first generation R5 of the PSA Group, perhaps the only smudge of Citroën in the last 15 years in the World. By the time France already give for fact that the R5 version will be the first to arrive after the C3 WRC 2017, maybe for 2018.
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