It was clear even before the event that M-Sport’s Gregoire Munster, Josh McErlean and Martins Sesks were unlikely to be in the fight for the very top positions.
That expectation proved accurate. All five Toyota drivers, along with Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, finished ahead of the Ford trio. Only Hyundai’s Ott Tänak and Adrien Fourmaux ended up behind them – Tänak after receiving a five-minute time penalty, and Fourmaux after retiring on the final stage with his second puncture of the weekend.
Of the M-Sport drivers, Josh McErlean finished highest in seventh place. Sesks was eighth, with Munster ninth. McErlean ended up a little over four minutes off the rally winner’s time, with Sesks and Munster more than a minute further back.
Sesks showed the strongest pace in the Ford Puma over the weekend, but he lost a couple of minutes when his windscreen fogged up on the Parkkola stage. Without that setback, Sesks could have been the team’s top finisher.
On paper, it was a subdued result for the British squad, but team principal Richard Millener preferred to look beyond the raw classification – and took the opportunity to give a subtle response to the doubters.
“It’s easy to look at the final result and miss the bigger picture, but this weekend was another important step forward,” Millener emphasised.
“The guys were only a few tenths per kilometre off the top times, and in Finland, where speeds are so high, that’s incredibly encouraging,” the team boss added.
M-Sport has by far the least experienced line-up in the WRC’s top category this season. Irishman McErlean had never competed in a Rally1 car before this year, and Munster had just one full season under his belt.
For Millener, Rally Finland was proof the drivers are heading in the right direction.
“These tiny margins add up quickly, but we’re closing the gap. The crews are learning, gaining confidence, and we’re seeing real development every rally,” Millener reflected.
“Our focus now turns to the next brand-new challenge on Rally del Paraguay, where Greg and Josh will look to build on this positive momentum to continue pushing forward.”
Rally Paraguay takes place at the end of August.
