The team principal of M-Sport Ford, Richard Millener, is being confident that the new travel restrictions will not affect his team's plans for next year's Rallye Monte Carlo saying that they are watching this situation carefully.
The British team plans to be in France for its final preparations for this WRC event in the second week in January with the intention of its drivers testing their new car before the start of Rallye Monte Carlo.
However, due to the Omicron variant spread, the government of United Kingdom has decided recently new travel restrictions according to which it is not permitted to people to travel for touristic or professional reasons from and to UK.
Moreover, it must be mentioned that M-Sport Ford faced exactly the same problem last year and it is was uncertain if it would participate in Monte Carlo due to organisers' and UK government's restrictions, but eventually it managed to be in France and to compete in this event.
"Our plans for Monte Carlo remain unchanged", Millener said.
"We plan to be in France for our pre-event test in the second week in January and all of our logistics remain built around that.
"Obviously we’re very well aware of the situation and we’re watching it carefully.
"Last year the organizers of Monte Carlo did a great job in a difficult situation and we’re confident they will do the same again.
"We’ve spent much of the last two years working with ever-changing restrictions and rolling with decisions taken very much at the last minute – we’ve grown pretty adept at it.
"At the same time, I would say we’re three weeks away from vehicles leaving M-Sport and a lot can happen before then".
Finally, a government statement reports: "Faced with the extremely rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the UK, the government has chosen to reinstate the need for an essential reason for travel from and to the UK.
"People cannot travel for touristic or professional reasons, there is a requirement to have an essential reason to travel to, or come from, the UK, both for the unvaccinated and vaccinated".
Source: DirtFish.com
Photo Credits: M-Sport
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