As far as rallying is concerned, Citroen has recently experienced such a situation in Mexico, where Sebastien Ogier was pushed to his limits in the last day by 7-time world champion Sebastien Loeb and crashed out. Meaning he ruined what could have been a wonderful 1-2 finish for his team, not to mention the valuable points in the drivers and constructors classification.
Nevertheless, Citroen's boss Olivier Quesnel insisted the rivalry will turn out to be a positive thing for the French manufacturer – not used to having two world class drivers battle for rally wins in recent years – despite the recent fiasco in Mexico.
“Rivalry between two drivers of this calibre is inevitable,” said Quesnel. “Sebastien Ogier is a very ambitious guy, but up against him is Sebastien Loeb who's at the top of his form after winning seven world titles on the trot. Seb' Loeb is absolutely determined to prove that he's still the best driver in the world.”
“We knew we'd be faced with this situation but we didn't think it would arise so quickly. In Mexico, their rivalry didn't lead to a totally positive outcome for Citroen. I'm convinced, however, that it will help the team score great results in the coming rallies.”
“Handling this situation is part of my job as team principal. I have to make sure that the interests of the make are privileged above all else. We have to stick together and keep working to give our two crews the best possible chances to score victories.”
Citroen will once again gun for victory in Portugal this weekend, a place where Ogier scored his first WRC win in career last year. Benefiting from a great starting position on Friday, the Frenchman might just turn his bad luck in Mexico into an advantage and take a strong option for the win starting Day 1.
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