Citroën won’t hurry 2016 driver decisions

Citroën Racing boss Yves Matton is in no rush to pick his drivers for the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship season and could leave any announcement until as late as mid-December.

Current drivers Mads Østberg and Kris Meeke are both being considered and Matton said he would use their performances in Finland, Germany and Australia to help make up his mind.

But with Citroën still to make a decision on its future in the WRC beyond 2016 and Østberg missing the Australian round due to injury, next year’s line-up won’t be confirmed any time soon.

"I’m not in a hurry, due to the situation in the drivers’ market and I don’t think I will take any decision before the end of Wales Rally GB," Matton told wrc.com.

"I was very happy with Kris’s result in Australia, he did exactly what we expected from him, but the situation with Mads is different because he has done only two of the three [evaluation] rallies. We will need to see how he does in Wales after the next tarmac rallies which we know are not his favourite surface."

Drivers aside, Matton said Citroën’s pending decision to drop either its World Rally Championship or World Touring Car Championship activities in 2017 would have a big influence on the strategy.

"It’s really important that I have a feeling on our plans for 2017 before I make my final decision," he said.

"I hope to have that final answer - or a really good idea - about 2017 by the 15th of December which is the deadline to enter the 2016 championship and also to nominate drivers for Monte Carlo."