Volkswagen driver Latvala got his title hopes off to a terrific start with second place at the opening round, Rallye Monte-Carlo, and he heads to the championshipâs winter fixture closer than ever to his chief title rival – and team-mate – defending champion Sebastien Ogier.Â
âMonte Carlo was the best opening to a season that I have ever had, so Iâm really, really satisfied with that.â Latvala told wrc.com. âOf course itâs interesting now to go to Sweden only six points behind Ogier, compared to last year when I was 14 points behind. Okay, Sebastien has won this rally, but I have too – three times. Itâs one of my favourite events and a completely different challenge to the Monte. There I was concentrating more on just finishing. But in Sweden I canât just drive safely because Iâm hoping to fight for victory.âÂ
Key to Latvalaâs Sweden approach will be knowing when to go all out for the win, and when to curb his natural instinct to take more risks and look instead at the bigger picture.
âMy strategy for Sweden is quite straightforward: Iâll drive as fast and as well as I can,â he said.âBut if it looks like I donât have the speed or the confidence to fight for the victory, then itâs more important for the championship to understand the situation, stay calm, and try to take points instead. Fourth or fifth might put me in a good position for Mexico. And there it might be a different story.âLatvala accepted that the strategy had been influenced new FIA regulations which put the championship leader first on the road for the opening two days of each rally. This is usually a disadvantage on loose gravel events like round three in Mexico.
âIf I win in Sweden it might be the case that Iâll be opening the road in Mexico – which is not ideal,âhe said. âOn the other hand, nobody would give away the victory if it was within reach!
âBut becoming world champion is not only about winning the most rallies. If you play it clever, stay consistent, and remain near the top in the standings, I believe you will still have a chance to take the title by winning less rallies. Itâs a bit like when Richard Burns won the title back in 2001. He only won one rally but was very, very consistent. For me, this years new rules are supporting this tactic.â
In Sweden Latvala can also count on the support of mental trainer, Christoph Treier – the man credited with Latvalaâs increased determination and focus since they began working together last season.
Latvala said: âI remember last year I was a little hesitant coming to Sweden because it had been more than two months since we had tested the car and I wasnât completely happy. But helped by Christoph, I managed to boost myself step by step and things started to work out.
âThis year itâs easier to go to there and for sure the work that Iâm doing with Christoph is helping. I can think more about each event with someone who has experience of it and who keeps me in line with what I need to do. In the past I was thinking all the time by myself and sometimes I couldnât keep myself under control – which led to mistakes. Now Christoph looks after me and makes sure I follow the strategy.â