Hyundai’s technique for its third automobile is the “most important query mark” relating to its 2025 World Rally Championship driver line-up, says workforce principal Cyril Abiteboul.
The Korean marque has fielded three i20 N Rally1s this season with two of these pushed by full-time drivers in Thierry Neuville and 2019 world champion Ott Tanak, with its third automobile cut up throughout Esapekka Lappi, Andreas Mikkelsen and Dani Sordo.
Hyundai is but to substantiate its driver plans for subsequent season with championship chief Neuville’s present deal set to run out on the finish of the season, whereas the workforce has an possibility to increase Tanak’s contract after rejoining the squad from M-Sport this yr.
Abiteboul says there’s an ongoing course of relating to its driver line-up for subsequent yr with the principle give attention to plans for the third automobile.
“There’s an ongoing course of. We’re speaking about subsequent yr [with Thierry], he is aware of the place, we all know him, it’s a profitable pair, so why would we modify it?” Abiteboul instructed Motorsport.com.
Neuville was quizzed about his future, including: “There is no such thing as a replace, however I’m not too involved anymore.”
When requested particularly about Tanak’s future, Abiteboul stated: “There’s an possibility, and we’ll speak about that. I believe we take pleasure in working collectively, so I believe an possibility could be one thing fairly pure to be exercised.”
Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Group Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photograph by: Purple Bull Content material Pool
However when it comes to the third automobile, Abiteboul is eager to “discover situations”, having opted to run Mikkelsen largely on asphalt occasions this yr (Monte Carlo, Croatia), with Sweden and gravel rallies, aside from Poland, cut up between veteran Sordo (Portugal, Sardinia) and Lappi (Sweden, Kenya, Latvia and Finland).
Lappi has scored probably the most factors up to now with 33 from 4 occasions, together with 19 from profitable Rally Sweden. Mikkelsen has scored 29 factors whereas Sordo has accrued 27 from solely two occasions.
“The primary query mark for us could be the technique on the third automobile,” stated Abiteboul. “As for the third automobile I’m at a degree the place I wish to discover situations. I wish to be open-minded about what to do and replicate on what we did this yr and assess if we’ve got achieved the best factor and if it’s the proper factor to hold over into subsequent yr.”
Ought to Hyundai want to go for another technique and look outdoors its present drivers for subsequent yr, there could possibly be numerous choices. The workforce was final yr linked with M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux, who’s having fun with his greatest WRC season up to now, headlined by 4 third-place finishes.
When requested if he had began talks about his 2025 plans, Fourmaux stated: “I believe it’s the second the place we begin the dialogue. To begin with, I hope I will likely be in a Rally1 automobile subsequent yr.
“As a driver, you want to be speaking with everyone, and if you wish to be a Rally1 driver there are three groups, so you want to communicate with the three groups.”
It’s doubtless all WRC groups will likely be maintaining a tally of WRC2 chief Oliver Solberg, who harbours a want to return to a Rally1 automobile sooner or later following his part-time marketing campaign with Hyundai in 2022.
“To be trustworthy, I don’t know something about subsequent yr. I’ve a variety of desires and a variety of objectives, however I’ve nothing but,” stated Solberg.
“After all, I’m solely 22 and the dream is to be again in a Rally1 clearly, however I don’t give it some thought an excessive amount of. I’ll do my greatest now and may solely give attention to that.”
