Citroen keen to extend Mikkelsen deal beyond Italy
Citroen and Andreas Mikkelsen are already exploring ways to extend the Norwegian’s one-off WRC drive with the French marque in Rally Italy next month.
Winner Andreas Mikkelsen Volkswagen Motorsport
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The agreement for Sardinia was announced last week – having been concluded in the hours after Rally of Portugal – and Mikkelsen will test the car for the first time this week.
Citroen team principal Yves Matton has emphasised there is no expectation from last year’s Rally Australia winner, but has tipped Mikkelsen to make an impact in his first top-level appearance of the season following his Skoda WRC2 outings.
“Andreas has nothing to prove to us,” Matton told Motorsport.com. “We will not put him under any pressure, we just want him to find his level and drive at it.
"I am quite convinced he can do a good rally in Italy if he can get comfortable in the car during the test and then improve that feeling through the event.”
Mikkelsen drives in Sardinia at the expense of Stephane Lefebvre, and Matton admitted car availability was the biggest barrier to a longer-term deal.
He continued: “When we ask Andreas to join us, for sure the intention was not for him to have one shot and then we say goodbye. It’s like I said to you before: we don’t want drivers to come to us just once.
"For the moment I don’t know [what can be done in the future]. Car availability is difficult, we have a lot of demand on the cars. What we can say now is that we will take this step-by-step.”
Citroen is already committed to running four cars for Kris Meeke, Craig Breen, Khalid Al-Qassimi and Lefebvre on selected rounds.
Because of his off-road racing commitments, Al-Qassimi is on a limited schedule with the team, but running a fourth car on all remaining rounds of the series would stretch the Paris-based team.
Mikkelsen wants more rallies
Mikkelsen’s management have confirmed that he would be available to Citroen for the rest of the season, a move the Norwegian himself would relish.
“I’m really, really happy with this deal,” Mikkelsen said. “This is what I have been waiting for and looking for, the chance to be back at the top level.
"Obviously this year the championship is destroyed for me, what’s important now is to be in the best position possible for next year and I’m looking forward to testing the C3 for the first time.
"I tested the 2017 Polo last year and I have tested the Hyundai this season, so I have some experience of the cars and, of course, I would like to stay [at the top level of WRC] for the rest of the season.”
On his expectations for Sardinia, Mikkelsen added: "The road position could help us on day one, but I’ve been out of these cars for a while and the pace is very, very fast at the front.
"I’m sure I can go fast, but at the same time, if I don’t have the right feeling in the car and I’m not completely sure how the car will be in every situation, then it’s going to be a bit risky to push to the limit.”
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