A few hours after the end of the Rally of Catalonia, Hyundai Motorsport has made official a news that Motorsport.com had anticipated a few weeks ago: at the end of the season Ott Tanak will no longer be the official driver of the team based in Alzenau.
The official announcement arrived late in the evening today and is the second big news that will upset Hyundai’s driver line-up for next season. After the farewell to Oliver Solberg here is the one to Ott Tanak.
If the Swede has been released due to lack of experience and the mistakes made this season, Tanak – 2019 world champion with Toyota Racing – will abandon Hyundai for personal reasons that led him to exercise the option that allows him to leave the contract also valid for 2023 with one year in advance.
Ott Tänak said: “This is a personal decision that I have made by carefully evaluating and respecting the team. However, I feel I am at a stage in my career where I have to take on a new challenge. In the last three seasons we have had a good collaboration. and I am proud of the results obtained “.
“We have worked hard together to overcome some difficult times and, as we have shown this year, we have moved in the right direction. The second half of this season has shown the level of performance we can achieve when things work out, but for me it is It’s time to do something new. I thank the team for their understanding and I wish them all well. “
Tanak’s latest outing in Hyundai colors will take place at Rally Japan next month in what will be the last event of the 2022 season. The team, however, will have to continue working to build the new line up for the next one. season.
Ott Tanak, Hyundai World Rally Team
Photo by: Fabien Dufour / Hyundai Motorsport
With the farewells of Solberg and, above all, of Tanak, only Thierry Neuville remains under contract. So there will be 2 boxes to fill in a few weeks to be able to get to the Monte-Carlo Rally with three crews ready to race. It will not be a surprise to see Sordo at the wheel of the third i20 N Rally1 in the Principality, alongside Neuville.
Julien Moncet, vice team principal of Hyundai Motorsport, said: “Ott’s departure is a disappointment, but it is a decision we have to accept and respect. He is undoubtedly one of the best rally drivers in the world, as we have been fortunate to have. experience firsthand through the victories we have achieved together over three seasons. It was a bit of a roller coaster. Our first year of working together was affected by the pandemic; this year we faced a new set of hybrid regulations that were certainly challenging “.
“Ott has shown real leadership, pushing himself and the team to find improvements and come back to winning. Recently, we have gained positive momentum with our Hyundai i20 N Rally1. We will miss him, but it is also an opportunity to regroup and We were already thinking about the composition of our crew for 2023, so this decision, although unwanted, opens up several possibilities for us to prepare for next season. We wish Ott and Martin the best for their future. “
Now Tanak will have to resolve the doubts related to his future. He may retire – due to a family situation that may require him to be present at home – or we may see him in other teams. Toyota, in the person of Jari-Matti Latvala, has often stated that he wants to confirm all the current drivers, but in those situations there was not a driver of the caliber of Tanak free.
In addition, Elfyn Evans has returned from a season that is anything but exciting. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Tanak return to Toyota after three seasons with Hyundai. The M-Sport option was more difficult due to the poor economic situation of the British team.
As for Hyundai, however, now all roads lead to Andreas Mikkelsen. The reigning WRC2 world champion is the first suspect to return to Alzenau and Craig Breen could also do the reverse, or return to Hyundai after leaving it at the end of last season.
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