Team orders under consideration at Abarth

The factory Abarth squad could employ team orders on Rallye Sanremo with Giandomenico Basso conceding that he might be told to cede position to team-mate Luca Rossetti.

Rossetti starts the asphalt event three points adrift of Paolo Andreucci in the Italian championship, which runs in tandem with the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier. Basso, meanwhile, is 11 points shy of the title lead.

“Team orders could happen but the most important thing is to be on top of the ranking at the end of day two of the rally,” said Basso. “So far this season I’ve not had a good feeling with the car but I hope I can gain a better feeling here in Sanremo, which is a race I like. We have the wide-track Abarth Grande Punto, which is an improvement on the previous car, especially in the dry.”

Both drivers are former winners in Sanremo with Rossetti claiming victory in 2007 and Basso triumphing 12 months later.