Martins Sesks is a promising rally driver from Latvia who has begun making an impact in the World Rally Championship (WRC). Competing against some of the best drivers in the world, he has shown impressive speed, confidence, and maturity. His performances in WRC events highlight his potential to become a strong competitor in the future, marking him as one of the rising talents to watch in the championship.
MS: it was an interesting time a few years ago when I was still starting
in the European Championship in ERC, and then it was quite clear that Latvia
will host another WRC event. And in the same year, there was a promoter's
program for new drivers, and yeah, it just clicked together. So, yeah, it was
really hard work to get it all together to get with M-Sport and WRC promoter.
And of course, I will be forever grateful for this opportunity because, yeah,
it changed things a lot. And yeah, without this program, without this support
from M-Sport and promoter, probably I would never stand WRC event. So, yeah,
that was huge. And yeah, I'm happy that still up to this year, we are together
with M-Sport and promoter.
SS: From ERC to WRC and to M-Sport Ford. Was a
sudden move or you were working on?
MS: As per previous years, ERC and WRC are working under more or less the
same system, so they are quite connected together. And yeah, it wasn't a sudden
move. Yes, as I mentioned, it was hard work before 2024 when Latvia started to
host a WRC event, and then all these things came together. And M-Sport was the
right platform for me as a young driver to start. And of course, the team has
the experience of working with new drivers and guiding them through this life
in WRC, and yeah, it's been really helpful, and yeah, I'm grateful for the
opportunity.
SS: Which moment do you consider as the most
important for you in WRC?
MS: Good one. I don't know if there is a moment which was the most
important, I think. For me, I'm still a young driver to WRC and I still haven't
got a full season yet. So for me, every moment is important to get further and
to try to do my best in every rally and every stage which I can. And yeah, I
think that's the most important for me to just, yeah, develop as a driver and a
person. And yeah, I think that's it.
SS: What is the difference between a non-hybrid
and a hybrid Rally1 car in terms of the driving behavior?
MS: Of course, there is a few differences between non-hybrid and hybrid
Rally1 car. Of course, hybrid Rally1 car had more horsepower, we had the hybrid
system which gave an extra boost, but at the same time it was heavier because
of the batteries and so on. But yeah, actually, I should say that the hybrid
Rally1 car was as well still very dynamic and this extra weight was also okay
because at some places it gave more downforce in a few places and you could
feel how the weight distribution works. And of course, still non-hybrid Rally1
car is a really cool car as well. It's lighter, it's more playful, so yeah,
there is, let's say, positives and negatives in each of them.
SS: What are your goals for the 2026 WRC season
since you have a partial programme with M-Sport Ford?
MS: As we're doing a partial program, then our goals are maybe a little
bit different than for the other drivers who are doing the full seasons,
because, yeah, we are doing rally by rally and trying to set goals on each of
the events. So, yeah, there is not one goal, but it's all about performance,
all about our development, and, yeah, well, we are just looking rally on rally.
SS: You will compete only on gravel rallies
this year. What about your tarmac experience in World Rally Championship?
MS: The calendar is interesting this year. As well, we are limited to 6-rally or 7-rally program this year, which per calendar and per other things were more crucial to start the events we started last year, which was all gravel. So, yeah, that's always a tricky question, but of course, we are working on it.
SS: After what you had achieved in 2024 and
2025, apart from M-Sport Ford, were you in talks with Hyundai and Toyota?
MS: The interesting thing about WRC at the moment is that, yeah, there
is only three teams around, so it's not a very big environment, I don't know,
like Formula 1 where you have 11 teams and then you have to sneak in, sneak
out. Of course, in WRC we're more or less all together and talking with each
other, but yeah, I think the most important part is that we're still with M-Sport, the team which trusted us from the very beginning. I'm happy to do the
third season with M-Sport and I'm looking forward.
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