Mads Ostberg believes it will be a case of “stepping into the unknown” for himself and Team Citroen Abu Dhabi when they begin the new World Rally Championship (WRC) season in Monte Carlo.
The Norwegian signed for the team last month, but he said he thinks it will be only once the action at the opening round at Monte Carlo, which begins Thursday, gets going that they will know where they stand compared to the rest of the field.
“We have had a couple of days in the car since the deal was completed, and everything feels pretty good,” Ostberg, 26, said.
“I think we did as much as we could in the time we had to prepare for Monte Carlo, but it is a case of stepping into the unknown this week as we do not know how good a job we have done compared to our rivals.”
Ostberg joined Citroen Abu Dhabi having driven an M-Sport backed Ford Fiesta in the championship in 2013, when he twice finished on the podium.
He joins Kris Meeke in an all-new driver pairing, and he said he was determined to make the most of the opportunity he has been given.
“It is very big for me,” he said. “It feels weird to have something you have always dreamt of actually happen, but that is what has happened to me and it is now important that I do the best I can and get good results.
“The team have made me feel very welcome, and I am really enjoying it here.”
Despite not having the machinery to fight at the front since making his debut in the WRC in 2006, Ostberg has made a name for himself as a consistent driver who rarely makes a mistake.
He finished all 13 rounds of last season’s championship on his way to sixth in the standings and only once, in Mexico, did he fail to finish in the points.
One victory has come his way in the WRC, in 2012 in Portugal, coincidentally at the expense of his new employers.
He had finished second behind the Citroen Abu Dhabi car of Mikko Hirvonen, but a technical infringement led to the Finn being disqualified after the event, moving Ostberg to No 1 on the podium.
Ostberg has more experience than his teammate Meeke, despite being younger, and is expected to lead the team’s challenge, although he was coy on what his aspirations were over the 11 months of the season against championship favourites Sebastien Ogier and Volkswagen.
“I have my goals, for sure, on what I want to achieve, and I know that the team has goals for me, too,” he said. “We want to be near the front and challenging for podiums at least, but for the whole season it is difficult to say what the target is.”
Ostberg said he does not expect to be standing on the top step of the podium in Monte Carlo and believes that next month’s Swedish Rally, an event in which he has podium finishes for the past two seasons, will be a better gauge of how competitive he is.
“Monte Carlo is an event I do not really know that well,” he said. “The aim there is to make as few mistakes as possible and see where we end up.
“Sweden is a place I know very well, and it is one myself and the team have targeted, that we believe we can do really well at.”
Another plus point of joining the team for Ostberg is getting the opportunity to work alongside Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, the chairman of Abu Dhabi Racing.
The Emirati, who will drive in five rounds of the WRC, has raced against Ostberg in the championship in past years.
“I know him from when he was at Ford a few years ago and I was with M-Sport and using a Ford Fiesta, and he was a nice guy,” Ostberg said.
“I have spoken to him on the phone since I was confirmed with the team and he was very supportive, and I am looking forward to racing with him during the season.”
gcaygill@thenational.ae
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