WRC rising star has “zero idea” over future after Rally1 outings

Martins Sesks says he has “zero idea” where his future lies in the World Rally Championship after impressing in three Rally1 outings this year.

The 2023 European Rally Championship runner-up has outlined his rising star status following a trio of head-turning appearances in rallying’s top tier thanks to a programme with M-Sport-Ford, partially funded by the WRC Promoter.

Sesks’ reputation as a future talent has been enhanced by finishing fifth in Poland on debut before scoring maiden stage wins in Latvia on his way to a likely third-place finish before a mechanical issue struck his Puma on the final stage.

Last weekend the 25-year-old earned a third Rally1 outing, piloting a non-hybrid powered Ford Puma, at Rally Chile, an event Sesks had never previously contested.

The rally provided a steep yet valuable learning curve after suffering a double puncture in stage two. With only one spare wheel at their disposal, Sesks and co-driver Renars Francis were forced to retire.

The pair did enjoy a clean run through Saturday and Sunday’s stages, despite a sudden rear wing failure on the penultimate stage, to log crucial Rally1 kilometres.

“I think if you had told me I would be driving a Rally1 car on three occasions this year I wouldn’t have believed you,” said Sesks.

Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1

Photo by: M-Sport

“Coming to South America for the first time and driving a Rally1 car has been amazing. It was really challenging the first two occasions went quite smoothly I would say from a driving perspective but this was a real challenge and there was a lot of learning.

“I think we have learned a lot for the future and now we know how to approach WRC rallies where we don’t know the roads.”

Sesks’ three outings have impressed management at M-Sport which is yet to confirm its driver line-up for next year. M-Sport’s lead driver Adrien Fourmaux is at the centre of the WRC silly season having been linked with a move away from the Ford squad to Hyundai.

When asked about his future in in the WRC, Sesks said: “I have zero idea actually. We have done this rally and I don’t know what is going to happen next. We are ready to take every opportunity. It depends how, when and what we can do in the future.”

M-Sport team principal Richard Millener, who was keen to see how Sesks would cope on unfamiliar roads, felt the rookie did a “great job” in the circumstances.

“For Martins and Renars, I guess it wasn’t quite what they had hoped for,” said Millener. “A small mistake with big consequences on Friday, and a tough last stage with no rear spoiler, but I think they still did a great job and got an insight into the experience that they need to learn to get to the top of the WRC - one of the key reasons to bring them here.”