Cyril Abiteboul, newly elected president of Hyundai’s global motorsport department, said the car team facing Ott Tänaku and Thierry Neuville next season will not announce its main driver for the time being.
Tänak, who became world champion in 2019, joined the M-Sport Ford team before the end of the season, but in October it turned out that the cooperation between the Estonian and Ford will only last one year, because Tänak joined to Hyundai, which it also represented in 2020-2022.
Besides Tänaku, Neuville is also in the team, and the Hyundai team principal said that the team may give orders to the drivers sooner or later. “When the season starts, both drivers have equal parts, information and opportunities. And the third car has a clear mission to fill a supporting role,” Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.
Three men will sit in the third car this year: Dani Sordo, Esapekka Lappi and Andreas Mikkelsen. “We have identified a key stage during the season, which I will not reveal, where we can review the situation and potentially change things. The riders are aware of this,” Abiteboul said.
The team boss said things between Tänak and Neuville can get tense at times, but competition within the team between two elite drivers is only a good thing. “I like to think it’s a good problem. I’d rather take two drivers instead of one and face the consequences,” Abiteboul said.
“Many times this season we had a situation where we had to face one man against many. Kalle, Ogier and Evans – it was quite difficult at times and a lot was asked of Thierry. We may have conflicts and tensions, but I will do everything to resolve it In general, we are more ready for next season”, added the team leader.
The new season of the World Rally Championship begins on January 25th with the Monte Carlo Rally.
2023-12-25 09:42:00
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