Solberg ready to quit WRC
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Solberg said: “I’m not paying to drive rally cars now. I’ve worked hard
to keep things going, running my own team, but it’s so hard. I
can’t do that again. I will retire if it comes to that. OK, it’s not nice
to think that I might not be in the championship next year, but it’s
the way things are right now.”
Solberg came close to departing the WRC when he was struggling
to fund his final season with the Petter Solberg World Rally Team
in 2011. He says he already has options for next season.
“If I have to go then I have to go,” he said. “There’s nothing with
Citroen and it’s possible there’s nothing here at Ford. I have an
option to do the Dakar and maybe it’s going to be time to look at
going racing again, I can start talking about these things.”
AUTOSPORT understands that if Sordo is not given a seat at Citroen,
he will drive for M-Sport, and that the same scenario applies to Ostberg.
While he could take money to M-Sport, Sordo would need to be paid.
Evgeny Novikov is the other driver in the frame
for a return to the team. M-Sport managing director
Malcolm Wilson said: “I can understand Petter’s perspective
on this, but we have to be realistic. It’s quite possible that we can find
other ways. For example, we can find a sponsor to come with Petter,
then he’s not using his own money. “We’re talking to a lot of people
right now and we have a huge number of balls in the air. We
have great technical support from Ford and the car is looking
very, very exciting for next season, but we have to get the financial
side sorted first. “With no disrespect to the drivers, I have to sort out the
funding for getting the team in the championship before I start
to look at who’s going to be driving the cars.”