Jon Armstrong admits his debut season in the WRC has been far from smooth. The Irishman's best results are eighth places in Sweden and Japan, but inconsistency and a series of crashes have raised questions about his future with M-Sport Ford. Ahead of Rally Sardinia this weekend, Armstrong knows this could be his last chance to prove his worth.
"Hopefully we can get a better result now. Honestly, I feel we should be able to continue next year. Somehow, we just have to start producing better results," Armstrong said. He acknowledged the mounting pressure from Motorsport Ireland, his long-time backer. "I think it is a little strange if everything comes down to the next rally. Of course, I understand that we have to show something. So far, we have not been able to do that."
Armstrong is not without speed. He has occasionally shown flashes of pace, setting fastest stage times, but the final results often fail to reflect that potential. Driving a privateer Ford Puma Rally1, he also faces a performance deficit compared to the factory teams. "It is frustrating that the results have not come. It is frustrating for M-Sport, who support us, and for our other partners. I feel sorry for everyone that we have not been able to produce any proper results," he said.
With far less experience than the WRC's leading names, Armstrong knows rallying is unforgiving. Yet he remains determined to push on. "We just have to keep pushing. I believe that when everything falls into place, we can achieve something good."
Rally Sardinia presents a unique challenge. Armstrong has never contested this rally competitively, but he has driven some of the roads before during a test with M-Sport Poland a few years ago. "Sardinia will be another new rally for me competitively, although I've driven on some of the roads before when I was there testing with M-Sport Poland a few years ago. It's a really unique challenge with narrow, technical sections, plenty of crests and some quite rough and rocky roads," he explained.
"In the Rally1 car, the narrow sections will be particularly demanding because you need to be very precise with the placement of the car while still carrying the speed. It's the last opportunity of the season, so hopefully we can enjoy the rally, put together a strong weekend and finish our first year at this level in a good way."
For Armstrong, the result in Sardinia is not just about points, but about proving he deserves to be retained for next season. With pressure mounting, he must turn potential into performance on the gruelling gravel stages.
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