The 24-year-old will tackle a full WRC campaign with the all-new M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 car as the Cumbrian team targets a successful and competitive year in 2022.
This season, during his first full programme in the sport’s top flight, Greensmith achieved his goal of a top-five finish on multiple occasions and consistently narrowed the deficit to his experienced rivals on every stage. He also achieved a career-best result of fourth at the legendary Safari Rally Kenya in June.
The Briton has already played a key role in the squad’s continued development and confirmation of his appointment alongside Craig Breen for 2022 will give the team a strong pair of drivers as the championship moves into a new age.
In the biggest change in technical regulations since the arrival of Group A in 1987, the WRC’s top category will not rely solely on internal combustion for forward motion.
Instead, 100kW hybrid motors delivering additional 130hp bursts of power throughout the special stages coupled with 100% sustainable fuel will move the sport into a more environmentally-conscious direction whilst still retaining the core DNA of the world’s most exciting off-road motorsport series.
Greensmith’s rapid progress also demonstrates the success of M-Sport’s ‘Ladder of Opportunity’. He first drove a Ford Fiesta Rally5 to third in the UK Fiesta Sport Trophy in 2014 before switching to a Fiesta R2 for the WRC Fiesta Trophy in 2015 and 2016.
He netted numerous WRC2 podiums with a Ford Fiesta R5 in 2017 and 2018 as well as winning multiple rounds of the 2019 WRC2 Pro Championship in a Fiesta Rally2 car. He made his Fiesta World Rally Car debut the same year in Portugal when lead driver Elfyn Evans was injured.
M-Sport is excited to continue its relationship with Gus Greensmith and the team hopes to challenge for top results from Rallye Monte-Carlo in January and beyond.
Gus Greensmith, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, Driver:
“I’m really excited to be a part of the 2022 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team as we head into the biggest rule change in WRC history; the hybridised era.
“I have been very happy with my improvements throughout the year and it means a lot to be representing the team going into 2022 where it seems that the guys and girls have done a fantastic job at creating a very competitive package.”
Malcolm Wilson OBE, Managing Director, M-Sport:
“I am really pleased that we are able to continue working with Gus into this very exciting new era of rally cars with the 2022 Puma Rally1 car. He has impressed me a lot this year with how much he has developed and disciplined himself while improving his pace. Gus is developing into a strong member of the team and I am looking forward to celebrating more success with him and the team next year.”
Richard Millener, Team Principal, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team:
"We are delighted to continue our relationship with Gus as we prepare to enter a new chapter with the hybrid cars. I have been working closely with Gus for a number of years and followed his progress closely. For M-Sport, Gus is effectively a living example of M-Sport's 'Ladder of Opportunity', having used it to make rapid progress in a variety of M-Sport vehicles to get to the top level.
"Since his World Rally Car debut in 2019, Gus has been a key member of our team. He is hungry for success and I have been particularly impressed with the leaps he has made in development and the consistency he has shown this season, despite his young age.
"We're extremely excited to get the 2022 season underway and I can't wait to see what results we can achieve with the Puma. I have no doubt that Gus, Craig, and the rest of our 2022 line-up will do our fans proud.”
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