Will Ott Tänak leave Hyundai for M-Sport?

Lorsqu’il dirigeait Hyundai Motorsport, Andrea Adamo avait été malin. Dès le mois de mars 2021, il avait fait signer des contrats longue durée à Ott Tänak et Thierry Neuville. The Italian had thus secured the services of his two big names to prepare the transition to hybrid. However, things did not go as planned. The Turinese was forced to take a step back, the development of the i20 Rally1 stalled and the organization was slow to get set up. The crews operating the Korean have experienced a lot of difficulties since January and the recent victory of the Estonian in Finland cannot make us forget the work that the team must accomplish on the car, but also internally.

In this atmosphere and while the prospects for improvement are uncertain, the idea that Ott Tänak could leave this rocking ship has grown in Jyväskylä. If he has a contract, the pilot has undoubtedly arranged means of exit in order to protect himself from any unpleasant surprises, particularly in terms of results. Seeing it change colors would not be surprising.

Tänak, the return home?

World champion in 2019 with Toyota, le Balte n’avait-il pas claqué la porte pour rejoindre Hyundai ? Avec le recul, la pertinence de ce choix interroge toujours, mais la manière avec laquelle Ott refuse obstinément d’aborder le sujet vaut mieux qu’un long discours. Est-il de nouveau prêt à tout chambouler ? Condamné à l’immobilisme par l’absence de baquet, le thème du marché des transferts promettait d’être traité en 2 lignes annonçant un statuquo pour 2023. Le Balte va-t-il tout dynamiter ? Ayant conservé de très bons rapports avec Malcolm Wilson depuis sa période Fiesta, Ott va-t-il rejoindre M-Sport ? Manque-t-il suffisamment de confiance dans le projet à long terme de Hyundai pour décider de renoncer à un contrat confortable ?

Before this comes to fruition, there are still significant obstacles. So far, the Puma has only performed well with Sébastien Loeb and its reliability remained uncertain. What interest would Tänak have in moving from a Rally1 which is making progress in this area to one where much remains to be done? If discussions exist, the money on the table is certainly the crux of the problem. How much is Ford willing to spend to maintain the level of development of the Puma? Can Malcolm offer a salary close to what Tänak earns today? Is he himself ready to sacrifice part of his income to try to find himself behind the wheel of a car supposed to allow him to aim for a 2^e title ?

If this transfer were to take place, it would be excellent news for the WRC of which the three teams would all have one (or two) potential champions. How much chance is there of this coming to fruition? The progress of the rally of Ypres will perhaps provide some answers?

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