by Rob Wilkins
BP Ford Abu Dhabi's
Jari-Matti Latvala has confirmed that he is prepared to help his team-mate and fellow countryman
Mikko Hirvonen during the second half of the season, as he battles with
Sebastien Loeb for the 2008 drivers' title.
Latvala is currently enjoying his first full season with Ford's 'A' team, having been promoted following Marcus Gronholm's retirement at the end of the last year. Thus far he has had a pretty strong start and has notched up 34 points, something that leaves him third in the drivers' championship, 'best of the rest' after Loeb and Hirvonen.
Speaking exclusively to
Crash.net Radio recently, Jari noted that while he would like to try and get another win in the remaining seven events – to add to the one he took in Sweden back in February, he will play the team game too.
"I still want to fight for wins in the second half of the season. But of course, if Mikko gets closer to winning the title and beating Sebastien, I will try to help him," he explained. "Let's see what happens and what the situation is at the end of the season.
"From my point of view though, I hope we will be able to remain third in the drivers' championship. Also I want to make sure Ford wins the manufacturers' championship again."
Asked what makes Loeb so successful, Latvala added that the Frenchman has many strengths: "He is a four-time world champion. He doesn't make many mistakes and he is very consistent. Also he is very clever. He is a very, very clever driver," Jari continued.
"He doesn't push or risk too much unless he knows it is worth it. He thinks about the championship and knows it is not always about speed. Speed is not the only thing that makes you world champion. You need to think about the whole picture and that strategy works really well for Sebastien. That is why he is a really tough driver to beat."
TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW IN FULL WITH JARI-MATTI LATVALA: CLICK HERE
