Michel Nandan: “The package to be world champion”

Since his official return in WRC in 2014, headlined by Thierry Neuville, Hyundai Motorsport a échoué par trois fois à la deuxième place du classement Constructeurs, la dernière fois cette saison, la marque coréenne étant battue par le Toyota Gazoo Racing au terme du Rally from Australia.

A failure for Hyundai which nevertheless had all the cards in hand to finally win its first crown in 2018, but the thunderous end of the seasonOtt Tänak and the setbacks of Thierry Neuville, beaten in the final sprint by Sébastien Ogier (M-Sport Ford) ont anéanti les chances de la structure basée à Alzenau en Allemagne.

But 2019 could well see Hyundai showing itself in a more than ideal position with the announced recruitment of Sébastien Loeb. The Frenchman will contest a partial program of six rallies, sharing the third i20 Cup WRC with Spaniard Dani Sordo.

The quartet Neuville – Loeb – Mikkelsen – Sordo therefore appears as one of the main striking forces for the next season, especially since Citroën Racing will only be able to count on two cars with Ogier and Esapekka Lappi.

“Sealing a deal with someone [Sébastien Loeb] with his immense talent and caliber shows that we are an attractive and competitive choice in the WRC, comments Michel Nandan, Team Principal of Hyundai Motorsport. Our goal is to win the WRC title.

We believe we have the package to achieve this and our crew composition for 2019 will perfectly reflect this ambition. We are also pleased to engage Dani's services for another year, extending a positive working relationship dating back to 2014.

With Thierry and Andreas already made official for next season, we have an exciting mix of personalities. ".

Hyundai, however, will no longer be able to count on the contribution of Hayden Paddon, the New Zealander having not followed up on the brand's proposals. The Kiwi finds himself on the market, just like Mads Ostberg, who recently indicated that he no longer had any potential options for the coming season.