The Ford squad faced yet another difficult start to a World Rally Championship (WRC) event as they encountered water pump issues that hindered their performance and dashed their hopes of a strong points haul. Both Pierre-Louis Loubet and Ott Tanak were affected by these problems, leading to disappointments for the team.
Retirements and Penalties
Loubet’s rally came to an early end when his Puma came to a halt on a road section before stage two, forcing him to retire. Tanak, on the other hand, was in fourth place when he faced a water pump problem during a tire fitting zone. Although the issue was fixed, he incurred a significant penalty of 3 minutes and 40 seconds after leaving the zone 22 minutes late.
Despite the setbacks, Tanak managed to secure two stage wins on Friday afternoon, allowing him to climb back up to eighth place overall. However, he still trails rally leader Thierry Neuville by a considerable margin of 3 minutes and 34.5 seconds. The Ford team was undoubtedly hoping for a better performance, especially considering their past successes at the Acropolis Rally.
Reflecting on the challenging day, Team Principal Richard Millener expressed his sympathy for Loubet, who had high hopes for this particular rally. Millener admitted that the team had let Loubet down and apologized for their shortcomings. He acknowledged the effort put forth by everyone involved but acknowledged that things were not going their way.
Millener also shared that Loubet had made the decision to not continue for the rest of the weekend, given the inability to achieve the desired result. While Tanak’s stage wins provided some consolation, Millener acknowledged their disappointment with the overall picture. Despite the circumstances, Millener emphasized the team’s commitment to continue working hard and accepting any fair criticism.
Millener confirmed that both cars were equipped with brand new water pumps for the rally, indicating that the problems were unexpected. The team follows the same processes and procedures for every rally, but in this case, the lack of a shakedown due to the weather may have prevented them from identifying any potential issues beforehand. Millener expressed frustration and stated that they would need to analyze the cause of these problems.
The Ford squad’s challenging start to the World Rally Championship event highlighted the impact of water pump issues on their performance. Despite their best efforts and stage wins from Ott Tanak, the team fell short of their expectations. Richard Millener expressed regret for letting Pierre-Louis Loubet down and acknowledged the need for improvement. As they investigate the cause of these issues, the team remains determined to keep working hard and striving for success in future events.
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