For the sixth consecutive season, the tops and flops remain faithful to their commitments every Wednesday following the rally. The principle remains the same with three distinct categories. Initially, the “tops” highlight the performances to be retained. Conversely, the “flops” point to the disappointments of the weekend. The “neither nor” concludes this column with an element that might very well have appeared in the two categories mentioned above.
This year once more, this ranking is intended to be purely subjective and only awaits your opinions, both close and contradictory. Which are obviously welcome in the comments at the bottom of the article.
Tops :
| 1 | Kalle Rovanperä | We say it and we repeat it but his maturity and his talent are impressive for his young age, only 21 years old. The end of the season is still far away, but in two rallies, he reminded us that the favorite for the world title was perhaps him! |
| 2 | Thierry Neuville | Give him a donkey, he will make a racehorse out of it… Whether we like him or not, there is one thing that cannot be taken away from the Belgian, it is this ability to get the best out of his mount, even when it is not up to par. His unexpected podium following the Monegasque debacle is the perfect proof of this. |
| 3 | Esapekka Lapland | He succeeded in his return to the front of the stage in the best way. Although lacking in pace and preparation once morest his opponents, the Finn proved that he was clearly not the default choice to replace his eight-time World Champion teammate. |
Flops :
| 1 | The hybrid | It only took two rallies for the first criticisms to burst out and for retirements independent of the goodwill of the crews to occur. Pirelli already had his ticket for the lottery, Compact Dynamics shouldn’t take the fold… |
| 2 | Craig Breen | Arriving at M-Sport, the question was whether the Irishman was able to be consistent over a full season. His completely failed Swedish performance may have already given some answers. |
| 3 | M-Sport | Was performance in the Principality just a tree hiding the forest? In Sweden, the Pumas suffered and were all handicapped by worrying reliability problems for the future. |
Ni ni: Oliver Solberg
Solid at the start of the rally and able to play in front, the Swede lost track without any real explanation. After a difficult start in Monte-Carlo, his arrival in the points is however a positive point to start his season but his talent and his potential lead to believe that he can aim better.
