Rossel there is a long way to go

The Frenchman scored back-to-back wins in Croatia and Portugal, arriving on the Italian island chasing a WRC2 hat-trick this week. The Citroën C3 Rally2 driver has his targets for this season and says he won’t risk everything in Alghero.

“There are a lot of good drivers coming to Sardinia,” he said, “I think we have to focus on a podium. Leading the championship doesn’t make me want to change anything – I want to work on my driving and we maybe need to work on the car a little bit for the gravel rallies.

“What we have done so far is good for the championship, but there’s also a long way to go this year and, like I said, there are some very good drivers out there. But I have a manufacturer with me and a good team.”

Rossel’s main rival for the title looks to be defending champion Andreas Mikkelsen. The Toksport Škoda driver began his season with two wins but was forced into retirement in Portugal following a technical problem aboard his Fabia Rally2 evo. Norwegian Mikkelsen is second in the standings and will be looking to put to rest demons following a forgettable Sardinian outing twelve months ago.