Rally
All eyes will be on the German marque after its incredible 2013 season.
Drivers: Sebastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala (plus Andreas Mikkelsen in the team’s third car)
Car: Volkswagen Polo R WRC
Team Principal: Jost Capito
Drivers’ title positions 2013: Ogier 1st, Latvala 3rd (Mikkelsen 7th)
Manufacturers’ title position 2013: 1st
High point of 2013: Sealing the constructors’ championship at Rally de Espana with a 1-2 finish.
Low point of 2013: Rallye Deutschland was a nightmare for the team on home turf, with Latvala finishing 7th while Ogier was classified 17th.
“Sebastien Ogier will be the 2013 WRC champion”. 12 months ago, those words would have seemed scarcely believable. Yes, Ogier was an incredible talent, the 2008 Junior WRC champion who grew to be arguably the toughest team-mate nine-time champion Sebastien Loeb ever faced when the two Frenchmen were paired at Citroen.
But Ogier’s whole season out of WRC machinery in 2012 while prepping Volkswagen’s new Polo R WRC challenger, coupled with the fact that the car itself was brand new, surely meant that expectations for 2013 had to be reeled in.
“We have a lot of learning to do through the season,” Team Principal Jost Capito announced ahead of Rallye Monte-Carlo 2013. “[We] want to challenge for podium positions in 2013 so we are prepared for the 2014 season, where we want to fight for wins.”
Incredible 2013 for Ogier
So second place for Ogier in Monte Carlo followed by the Frenchman taking the team’s first win at the following rally in Sweden wasn’t in the script. But as the 2013 season went on, it became clear that the script wasn’t going to count for much this season.
Overall Ogier racked up nine rally victories, while team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala added another one for the team at the Acropolis Rally in Greece. Ogier claimed the drivers’ title at Rallye de France-Alsace with two events to spare, while the constructors’ title was sealed in Spain a rally later. Not bad for a bunch of rookies.
Volkswagen in 2014
So what can we expect for 2014? Well, Jari-Matti Latvala will certainly be wanting to re-balance the power in the team. The Finn struggled to get comfortable with the Polo throughout the season, having been contracted to the Ford factory team during 2012 while Ogier was busy developing the car.
Indeed Latvala was visibly flustered at several points throughout 2013 by Ogier’s apparent superhuman ability in the car. But it’s important to remember that when Latvala is on form and in the groove – when he has “the feeling”, as he’s fond of saying – his pace can be jaw-dropping.
If the Finn can get to the same level of comfort with the Polo as he did with Ford’s machinery from 2006 until 2012, he could stake a serious claim for the 2014 championship.
Meanwhile Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen will be looking to build on his solid nine-appearance season in 2013 in the team’s third car. The 24-year-old won back-to-back International Rally Championship titles in 2011 and 2012, so don't go thinking that the man they call 'The Handsome One' is a slouch.
And as for Ogier? Well, there seems to be no clear reason why the Frenchman can’t pick up where he left off in 2013. The rest of the field should already be quaking in their driving boots.
Verdict for 2014: Volkswagen will be the team to beat this season.
Tomorrow, we look at Citroen's hopes for the 2014 WRC season.
