Latvala
reveals
Volkswagen
trump
card

Finn Latvala is in the process of switching to Volkswagen from the factory Ford outfit - which has lost its manufacturer backing for next season - where he will link up with fellow star driver Sebastien Ogier.

While Ogier has been a Volkswagen pilot for almost a year, Latvala is unlikely to get behind the wheel of the firm’s Polo R WRC for a few more weeks while the terms of his departure from Ford are finalised, meaning he could be playing catch-up when the new season begins on Rallye Monte-Carlo in January.

Although English is widely spoken at Volkswagen Motorsport, while several key personnel are French speakers, Latvala plans to bond quickly with his new team by speaking German, the squad’s native language.

“I did German for four years at school so I have some basics,” Latvala said. “I have lost a little bit from that because I have been working with an English team and I have been using most of the time English. But I can make a little bit of conversation.”