With the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship season quickly approaching, M-Sport Ford is making plans for another successful season. A few weeks ago we saw this video highlighting the 2018 season and the success of the M-Sport team, especially their former driver Sebastien Ogier, who earned the driver’s championship title in a Ford Fiesta. Last season marked Sebastien Ogier’s sixth consecutive WRC championship (with the help of co-driver Julien Ingrassia), and his second with the M-Sport Ford team after leaving Volkswagen at the conclusion of the 2016 season.
Now, for 2019 M-Sport Ford is pleased to announce their intention to register for the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship with a multi-car entry for the EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC. Elfyn Evans will return to the squad for a fifth season, now at the highest level, and will be joined by Cumbrian co-driver Scott Martin. Martin is now reconnected with the team which started his international career back in 2004.
Teemu Suninen will also return to the team for a third season. Suninen will contest all events with a top-specification world rally car for the first time in his career. The young Finn will be joined by a new co-driver, and fellow Finn: Marko Salminen.
The M-Sport Ford team will be supported at Rallye Monte-Carlo and Rally Sweden with a third manufacturer entry for Pontus Tidemand. Tidemand, a native of Switzerland, has a long history with M-Sport Ford, which began with a victory in the 2013 FIA WRC Academy. Tidemand took the wheel of a top-specification Fiesta and fought for a podium position at Rally Sweden in 2014, but this will mark his first time behind the wheel of a new-generation world rally car. He brings undoubted speed to the table, along with a desire to succeed. This desire for success is essential following the loss of Ogier and Ingrassia, the six-time French world champions.
An additional change to support the team on a daily basis will be Richard Millener, who is stepping up to the role of Team Principal. This will allow Malcolm Wilson to devote more time to the commercial side of M-Sport as a business. Until the start of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship season, we will just have to (impatiently) wait for the action by watching and re-watching the 2018 season re-cap.
Comments
I don’t care anymore. Ford is out of cars. What a waste of money. No wonder why they can’t make money on cars.
Losing Sebastien Ogier as their lead driver, unfortunately means they’ll (Ford) will lose their title. Shame, should have hung onto him. Big loss.