Hyundai aims high
The 2024 World Rally Championship will officially begin in just under a week with the first, historic event of the season. Although it is not actually held in the Principality of Monaco, even if the event is officially known as Monte Carlo Rallythe complex paths of French Alps will welcome teams and drivers to give life to the first seasonal challenges, in which the Hyundai will come with great objectives: not only to win the first round of the world championship, but also and above all to interrupt Toyota's dominance in the Drivers' and Constructors' championships.
Between confirmations and returns
A purpose that the Korean company and its Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul they designed featuring a total of five crews, but with only two of these employed full time. On the one hand there will be the Belgian Thierry Neuville, which aims to improve its performance after the two victories achieved last year, one of these in Italy. On the other, the returnee Oct Tänak, returning from an unsatisfactory 2023 with the Ford of the M-Sport team. In addition, in Monte Carlo, we will see another return like that of the Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsenwho will alternate his i20 N Rally1 Hybrid with the reconfirmed drivers Dani Sordo and Esapekka Lappthe.
World Cup in sight
In a season that introduces a new scoring system, Neuville is aiming for his second career success in Monte Carlo, but not only: “I am happy to be able to continue my journey with Hyundai in my eleventh season with the team – he has declared – they have shown a lot of trust in me and I have helped them develop the car over the last two years. Our goals for 2024 are push hard for both the drivers' and constructors' championships, and the first step to achieve this is to do well in Monte Carlo. It is a challenging event due to unpredictable weather conditions and variable surface profiles, especially in the night stages. We have been competitive in the past and know what it takes to get on the podium. This year we will try to achieve the best possible result, which we hope will be that of arrive ahead of everyone“.
Be careful of the ice
Tänak is also very excited, who in addition to returning to Hyundai will participate in his 150th career rally: “Starting the season in Monte Carlo is always a challenge – explained the Estonian – this year the event moves back to the Gap region, so we expect the conditions are mixed and treacherouswith the possibility of having more snow and ice than in recent seasons. Even though we only had one day of testing, we were quite lucky with the conditions, as we were able to run on slick tires as well as experience wetter and icy roads. Overall, the feeling with the car was good and we found a good rhythm. Our aim in the rally is to get a podium, but of course we will try to get the best result possible.”
New challenges coming soon
Finally, Andreas Mikkelsen, winner in Monte Carlo in 2022 in WRC2, is aiming for the top: “Returning to the premier class of rallying from WRC2 is really exciting, and it's really great to be back with Hyundai Motorsport – he concluded – a completely new car and regulation creates a different environment for me, but I'm ready to face the challenge. I'm very happy to start in Monte Carlo this year: it's an exciting rally with many factors at play. Tire choice and strategy play an important role in success, meaning that it is possible to achieve a good result even when you don't know the car well and haven't found your maximum pace. I want to finish the rally in the best possible position and, after winning here in WRC2, in 2022, I am determined to push until the last stage to collect as many points as possible.”
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