On paper, the FIA World Rally Championship’s sixth round was a positive one for the Frenchman, who extended his WRC2 lead to 13 points over Oliver Solberg by securing a fourth-place finish.
But Rossel left the Mediterranean island feeling disappointed with his performance having lacked confidence and outright pace throughout the gruelling gravel fixture. It was a similar story at the previous round in Portugal, where the Citroën driver again placed fourth.
“I am here [at the finish], I take a lot of points, but I had no speed this week and no confidence in the car,” Rossel told WRC.com. “I think we need to improve the car because, if we don’t have the solution [for gravel], it’s impossible to play for the championship.
“It’s the same feeling [as in Portugal]. When the grip is low on dry sections, it’s impossible to drive. When it’s damp and the grip is very, very low, it’s like [driving] on ice and I don’t push my throttle. If I push like normal, I will finish off the road.”
When quizzed on what changes may be needed, Rossel said he feels that geometry settings could help in maximising the performance of his tyres. All registered crews receive an identical allocation of Pirelli rubber for WRC2 rounds.
“I think it’s the geometry because this year we have a new tyre which is more hard,” he explained. “Last year it was not bad, with the normal tyre it’s very good. But for the moment I cannot use the tyre like normal. I don’t have the grip and all the time I cannot play with the car, and the time is not there.”
Rossel will miss this month’s Safari Rally Kenya and is understood to be planning a return to action at the following round in Estonia (20 - 23 July).
Finland
Italy
Hungary