Martins Sesks adjusted to the World Rally Championship well during his three outings for M-Sport Ford in the 2024 season.
The Latvian driver hit the ground running at Rally Poland, adapting to challenging gravel stages to finish in fifth place just ahead of Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta.
His good form continued the next time Sesks featured at his home event, Rally Latvia, where he took seventh place and scored more points to begin his WRC career driving a Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid.
Sesks stepped up from the European Rally Championship, where he competed in four rounds with varying degrees of success.
He may drive in the WRC more consistently next season and continue with M-Sport, but one stumbling block could prevent Sesks from doing so.
M-Sport team principal Richard Millener explained to the official WRC website that while he would like to see Sesks drive one of their cars in 2025, there is work to be done to secure an agreement.
M-Sport need a budget to ‘make things happen’ and sign Martins Sesks for 2025
Sesks drove well in his three WRC appearances this year, although he faltered slightly during his last outing at Rally Chile by slumping to 24th place.
The Latvian driver would be a good option for M-Sport as Sesks has proven that he can be competitive and score top-five finishes.
His performance in Latvia was particularly impressive as Sesks didn’t have the benefit of Ford’s hybrid system, which meant he had less power than his rivals.
READ MORE: WRC 2025 driver line-up with every team’s confirmed entry for the season
After gaining his first experience with Rally1 machinery, a full-time drive in the World Rally Championship would be a significant step in his career. Millener also admits he would like to sign Sesks for 2025 but M-Sport need him to bring a budget.
Millener said: “He came to talk about the situation. I think you know my feelings [and] the team’s feelings. We would very much like to work with Martins in the future, and he’s on a shortlist of drivers we’re talking to.
“What he achieved with us this season was very, very impressive and we remain aware of that. We need to talk about what he can do.
“I think people are understanding of the fact that we need [a] budget to make things happen. There’s [a] desire to make it work, right now we’re talking and let’s see what we can do.”
Martins Sesks isn’t the only one who wants to drive for M-Sport
M-Sport have had a tricky season and are third of the three manufacturers in the standings, a significant distance behind Hyundai and Toyota.
They haven’t yet won a rally this season as the other teams have been much more competitive, battling in a head-to-head duel for the championship.
Millener was impressed by Sesks driving this season, but there is a lot of young talent looking to compete at the highest level of rallying.
Oliver Solberg wants to drive for M-Sport in 2025 and is close to winning the 2024 WRC2 title with one round to go. Taking the title may help him get a Rally1 seat for 2025.