That’s the view of the 25-year-old Frenchman who heads into next week’s Barum Czech Rally Zlín seven points behind defending champion Paddon following his fifth-place finish in Italy last month.
“The confidence is back again and the good point is to be in front of Hayden,” said Franceschi, who admitted to lacking in self-belief after a high-speed crash on BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia and an off-form run to 10th place on Delfi Rally Estonia.
“Maybe we lose too much time at the beginning of the race [by not pushing more] and we lose the podium by a few seconds for nothing. But it’s like this, it’s good now for the championship and I need to see the positive points. This is definitely one.”
Franceschi finished equal on time in Italy with fourth-placed Simone Tempestini. Crucially, however, he came home 6.1sec ahead of Paddon and also outgunned the New Zealander on the event-deciding Power Stage, which he completed with several scuff marks to the side of his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 following a brush with a bank.
“I think I was a bit too fast and I touched a bit the bank but the damage was not a problem,” Franceschi said. “It was not an easy weekend and we had to take it step by step but we took good points.”
Barum Czech Rally Zlín takes place from 16 - 18 August and counts as round six of the 2024 ERC season.
Franceschi’s latest new look explained
Rally di Roma Capitale marked the fifth different colour scheme in as many FIA European Rally Championship events for French star Mathieu Franceschi and the third different Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 he’s driven for his Michelin-equipped team, AMD Motorsport.
He explained why: “After the crash in Sweden we changed the car and the Estonia car is for gravel for another driver so we take this car [for Rome] from a Swiss driver who is doing the Swiss championship. But it’s nice for the fans to see the different liveries. We changed the colour five times but we are waiting a brand-new Škoda and if it comes for Barum Rally then we will have a sixth colour but I don’t which colour. I ask the boss of the team to choose because inside I don’t see the colour of the car so it’s not my problem!”
Asked which livery design he preferred, Franceschi said: “The livery of Canarias (above) was the best one but this one looks fast.”
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