An old adage that became famous thanks to Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra, famous baseball player for the New York Yankees, says: “It’s not over until it’s over.” The phrase could fit perfectly to describe the situation of Dani Sordo, a Hyundai Motorsport driver who last weekend completed the Rally Italia Sardegna taking third place and his 57th podium finish in the WRC in the 191 rallies held.
After competing in the Portuguese and Italian rallies, the Torrelavega native has already finished his commitment in the 2024 season with Hyundai Motorsport. This season, in fact, the team directed by Cyril Abiteboul alternates three crews on the third i20 N Rally1 to support the owners Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak
Sordo alternated with Esapekka Lappi – winner of the Swedish Rally – and Andreas Mikkelsen, but the two rounds for which he had been chosen have already taken place. So, barring any surprises, this means that his competitive season is over in Sardinia.
At the end of the Power Stage, the Sassari – Argentiera 2, Sordo let slip a phrase that made his fans and rally enthusiasts tremble: “I don’t know if you’ll see me again, let’s see”.
The 41-year-old then clarified his situation for the season. Having completed the two rallies set in his calendar, he now finds himself with no other commitments in the WRC. But it is not certain that we will see him again either this season or in the near future. Dani still has to decide whether to continue or whether to stop definitively and hang up his helmet.
Ott Tänak, Hyundai World Rally Team, Dani Sordo, Hyundai World Rally Team
Photo by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport
“I had two rallies scheduled for 2024 with Hyundai Motorsport and I don’t want to talk about the future. Let’s see. I’ll finish in Sardinia with a podium and that makes me happy. I don’t know what will happen, I can’t answer questions about my future right now.”
Christian Loriaux, technical director of Hyundai Motorsport, did not want to comment on Sordo’s present and future in rallying and with Hyundai. But in his opinion there could still be room for the Iberian in Hyundai in the future.
“It’s not something I want to discuss here, but for sure Dani had a good rally and also did some good times in Portugal,” Loriaux told Motorsport.com. “You wouldn’t think it’s over for Dani. We’ll see.”
In the 6 rallies remaining to complete the 2024 WRC season, Esapekka Lappi and Andreas Mikkelsen will alternate on the i20 N Rally1. If the Finn confirmed himself as a man you can rely on, taking home a good victory in Sweden in the second round of the season, Mikkelsen seems far from having rediscovered the mechanisms needed to push a car like the Rally1 to the limit.
It would not be surprising at all if Hyundai decided to rely on Sordo again in the final part of the season, when the Alzenau team might need speed and experience to close the conversation for the Constructors’ championship title and, perhaps, lend a hand to Neuville and Tanak to the pilots one.
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