Why Grégoire Munster is confident ahead of Safari Rally despite disastrous Sweden outing

M-Sport Ford team leader Grégoire Munster says he has taken valuable lessons from a challenging Rally Sweden; insights he plans to use to sharpen his pace aboard the Puma Rally1.

The 26-year-old finished eighth in Umeå, marking his lowest WRC result since Secto Rally Finland last August.

A tough start left him struggling for outright speed on Friday, which meant he was first on the road for the rest of the weekend.

Despite that, Munster remains upbeat.

Toyota driver Kalle Rovanperä plots WRC Safari Rally title defense

“For sure, this was not the result we wanted, but there were lots of positives to take home. We reached the finish without making any big mistakes, and we learned a lot.

We’ve worked with the engineers on the setup and have done some analysis and onboard comparisons to be able to keep improving. Although it doesn’t reflect in the stage times, we made some good improvements despite opening the road,” the driver told WRC.com.

M-Sport team principal Richard Millener echoed those sentiments, backing his driver to unlock more pace in the coming rallies.

“He made solid steps forward,” said Millener. “He’s taken on a lot of feedback, and we saw big improvements throughout the weekend in Sweden. This is all building for the future.”

With his sights now set on the Safari Rally, Munster is relishing the challenge ahead.

“That’s a proper tough event,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s a rally where you need to balance speed with smart management. Reliability is a big thing in Kenya, and I think that’s one of the strong points of our car.”

What will Harambee Stars' philosophy be under McCarthy?

Looking ahead to the third round of this year’s series, Millener admitted his British squad was as well prepared as ever for the classic African event.

“We all know what the Safari’s about,” he said. “We know how tough it can be, right up until the final kilometer – this is definitely an event that can bite you.

I think the whole team was really proud of the podium we achieved last year when Adrien Fourmaux finished third. M-Sport is a team that has its foundations laid in reliability and durability; we’ve always made strong and fast cars.

But this is the Safari and absolutely anything can happen. When you start this rally, you’re rolling the dice.”