Petter Solberg says a new engine in his Citroen DS3 WRC has revitalized his outlook on the World Rally Championship during this week's Rally Australia.
The Norwegian admitted lackluster results on the last two rounds of the series had forced him to consider whether it was worth continuing with his season as a private driver in the world championship.
"On the two last rallies, I was thinking is there any point to continue?" said Solberg. "If it's so large a step between the factory cars and the private cars, I don't want to throw my sponsor's money out of the window. I had no chance in Finland and Germany, but now it's working.
"The engine is changed, not a new specification of engine, just a new engine. I used the old engine for two rallies, but I said there was something wrong – I don't know if it was mapping or something. I had two bad results and then I came here and I was fastest at shakedown on nearly every run. All that matters is that it's working now."
Solberg is currently running third in Australia, just over half a minute off the lead.