Citroen Racing boss Yves Matton has revealed that Kris Meeke is under consideration for another outing in a Citroen DS3 World Rally Car - even after the Brit suffered a miserable double-retirement on Rally Australia.
Australia was a second chance for Meeke to impress Citroen after his first outing for the French squad in Finland ended with a huge roll on the penultimate stage.
Meeke got off to the perfect start in Coffs Harbour by going fastest at qualifying, and was an impressive 4th until his car slipped off the road on Stage 13 and rolled seven times down a hill.
Matton told wrc.com that before the crash he had been prepared to offer Meeke a third appearance on the season finale Wales Rally GB.
“I explained to him before the rally that if he was doing what I asked here then he was doing GB. Now I think there is less chance that he is doing that, but I will wait a little bit. I never take a decision just after something happens. I need to think a little bit more. I think there is still some possibility," he said.
Unfortunately, Matton has more to think about on Sunday, when Meeke retired again after the final stage having slid wide and smashed his car’s right-hand rear suspension.
“For sure it doesn’t help him, again,” an unimpressed Matton told wrc.com. “On Sunday it was very simple for him to go to the end. I know that he was first on the road, cleaning the road. Nothing to do, only maybe bring back two points, but at the end we went home with zero points for our second car. That’s not positive.”
Matton confirmed however that Meeke still had a chance – perhaps driving the DS3 of Khalid Al Qassimi. “A lot depends on what happens in the manufacturers’ championship. I don’t think I will take the decision before the end of Rallye de France,“ he said.