Next month’s Rally Sweden will mark Mads Østberg’s debut piloting the Ford Fiesta RS WRC in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).
The 23-year-old Norwegian will be partnered with experienced Swedish co-driver Jonas Andersson and the pair will act as official nominated point scorers for the M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team.
Team-mates Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson will also remain in the Cumbrian-based squad.
Mads Østberg said: “I’m really looking forward to this season and to start in Rally Sweden is ideal. Jonas is Swedish, and the country is my second homeland. We have our family summer house there, I did my first youth rally in Sweden, I won my first rally in Sweden, I did my first WRC rally in Sweden, I won my first special stage in WRC in Sweden - what can be better than starting my Ford career, and my first rally as a nominated team driver, in Sweden? I am delighted to be a part of the M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team and very happy to have Henning and Matthew as our team-mates.”
Jonas Andersson said: “We are preparing well for Rally Sweden. There will be one test with the new car before the rally but we start winter testing with the similar Ford Fiesta S2000 this week and we will compete in rallies in the Norwegian Championship before Rally Sweden. I think we can gain important experience with the Fiesta S2000 that will be valuable. For me it is special to do my home rally as it will be the first WRC rally for Ford with Mads. I am sure that the spectators will support us as a home team, and with many fans coming over from Norway too we hope to have good support out in the forests.”