Norwegian rally driver Mads Ostberg has been Volkswagen Motorsport's most consistent opposition this season, despite the Citroen DS3 WRC not suiting his natural driving style.
Ostberg spent three season behind the wheel of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC before joining Citroen at the end of last season.
So far in 2014, the 26-year-old has finished twice on the podium and four times in the top 10, in four rallies with the DS3. This means he is third, behind VW Motorsport drivers Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala, in the overall standings.
But the 67-rally veteran says there is more to come from him, as he learns to adapt his style to the characteristics of his car.
"(Earlier) I tried to make the car (DS3 WRC) suit me by continuing to drive it a bit more sideways like I did with the Fiesta," he told WRC.com.
"But I understood that was not quite so easy and that the theory behind the Citroen is totally different.
"You are driving much more on the front of the car and with more understeer. The car is much more stable and braking all the way into the corner gives the right pressure on the front wheels to be able to turn the car.
"It’s a special way of driving and for me, it’s improving all the time. It’s making me faster and faster."
Ostberg spent three season behind the wheel of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC before joining Citroen at the end of last season.
So far in 2014, the 26-year-old has finished twice on the podium and four times in the top 10, in four rallies with the DS3. This means he is third, behind VW Motorsport drivers Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala, in the overall standings.
But the 67-rally veteran says there is more to come from him, as he learns to adapt his style to the characteristics of his car.
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| Mads Ostberg, Citroën DS3 WRC (Photo: Citroën Racing) |
"(Earlier) I tried to make the car (DS3 WRC) suit me by continuing to drive it a bit more sideways like I did with the Fiesta," he told WRC.com.
"But I understood that was not quite so easy and that the theory behind the Citroen is totally different.
"You are driving much more on the front of the car and with more understeer. The car is much more stable and braking all the way into the corner gives the right pressure on the front wheels to be able to turn the car.
"It’s a special way of driving and for me, it’s improving all the time. It’s making me faster and faster."