Hyundai reveals its ambitions for 2018

The 2018 season of WRC sera-t-elle l’année de Hyundai Motorsport ? Malgré quatre victoires de Thierry Neuville, the Drivers' and Manufacturers' titles were won by Sébastien Ogier et M-Sport qui ont fait preuve d’une meilleure constance au fil de la saison.

With stabilized regulations and the full-time recruitment of Andreas Mikkelsen, the Korean manufacturer is approaching the new season with the best ambitions.

“We are approaching our fifth season in the WRC with great motivation and even higher ambitions in the fight for the title in the Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships, comments Team Principal Michel Nandan. We were close to it in 2017, but we must also recognize that we were a little short in terms of performance and consistency. We plan to rectify that this season. With the stability of the regulations, we will be able to build on the foundations of last year. »

The Asian team will be able to count on Andreas Mikkelsen and Thierry Neuville who will be engaged full-time for the 13 rounds of the calendar. If the Norwegian already almost won at the wheel of the i20 WRC in Australia last November, the Belgian is thirsty for revenge after missing the coronation after suffering from too many retirements.

“We may have missed out on the title last year, but we had plenty to celebrate, declares the Belgian. We wanted to be in the fight and we succeeded in many events. Our four victories and showing ourselves competitive in several other events give us real motivation to take another step forward in 2018. We become stronger and stronger every year. For this fifth season, I believe it is time for us to shine but we know that our opponents will be hard to beat. »

Dani Sordo and Hayden Paddon will have a partial program at the wheel of the third Hyundai i20 WRC. The Spaniard will start at Rally Monte-Carlo (January 25 to 28) while the New Zealander will begin his season in Sweden (February 15 to 18).

Discover the photos of the 20 Hyundai i2018 WRC.