While Millener is still working on the team’s driver line-up for the coming year, he’s confident in the squad’s ability to build on what was achieved with the first year of the Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid.
Millener said: “There’s been a lot of discussion about Craig’s decision [to leave the team and return to Hyundai] and in many ways I think that overshadowed some really positive progress we made as a team.
“Going back to the very top of the season, we continued to demonstrate our ability to win out of the blocks with a new generation of rally car. That Monte Carlo win with Séb [Loeb] was very, very special. And Séb continued to show rally leading speed and potential with the car every time he got in it.
“But beyond Loeb, there was Gus [Greensmith] and Pierre-Louis [Loubet] putting in some really, really good results. Gus’ start to the year was superb – don’t forget he ran third in the championship after Sweden.
“And Pierre-Louis took his first stage win and led for the first time this year – that’s the sort of pace and potential we can really work with and we would be excited to build on that moving forwards.”
Millener was quick to praise the whole M-Sport team at the same time, adding: “I think people have worked out that things aren’t always straightforward for this team, but this team is just amazing.
“We were the first to run five Rally1 cars on an event and, trust me, that takes some doing. There have been some real highpoints in what’s been a tricky year. I don’t want to forget that.”
Finland
Italy
Hungary