M-Sport World Rally Team pairing Esapekka Lappi and Teemu Suninen both expect to be in the running for the podium on Rally Italy, after two difficult rallies for the pair since the World Rally Championship’s resumption.
M-Sport has only a single top-five finish to its name in since the championship restarted from its pandemic-induced hiatus, and that was courtesy of Gus Greensmith last time out in Turkey.
But with ultimate car performance considered less important on the narrow and twisty gravel roads of Sardinia, M-Sport’s two Finnish drivers expect to have the pace to compete for a place in the top three.
When asked by DirtFish about his chances of another Sardinia podium, having finished third for Toyota on the island in 2018, Lappi said: “It’s hard to say, especially before the rally has started, but if we can really stay out of trouble throughout the weekend – I’m sure there’s going to be some challenges for the drivers during the weekend – the pace should be fine.
“I’m not really saying it’s the winning pace but I’m sure we’re going to be the most competitive on this rally that we have been on the last two rallies. I think there is a chance to be there but we need to be lucky as well.”
Suninen finished second on last year’s event and has a favorable road position, starting one place behind Lappi as the seventh car on the road.
Having scored M-Sport’s only podium of the year so far in Mexico, Suninen believes that Italy represents his best chance so far this year to win a rally.
“This year we have good chances to do that,” said Suninen, when asked by DirtFish as to whether a victory was possible.
“But still, it’s a little bit different rally now at a different time of the season.
“We have to do a really good job and without mistakes we can really be in podium as last year.”
Greensmith, whose fifth place in Turkey was the best result of his WRC career, was more conservative in his goals for the rally but admitted his targets now had to be set higher thanks to his first top-five finish.
“We made some good improvements in Turkey but we’ve still got a lot more to find and a lot more to improve on, so my plan is to just kind of take the same approach and hopefully see an improvement in pace this weekend, relative to the others, again,” said Greensmith.
“That’s one of the things that’s changed since the long break with coronavirus, where I don’t set myself a result, I’m just focused on how I feel I was driving relative to the last event or last stage.
“As long as I feel it’s an improvement as a whole, then I’ll be happy.”
