Ofcourse there's lots of factors.
But if Msport had more faith in CL...., why wouldn't they put him in charge of the new cars (and the 17 one)? Rallying is their main focus after all.
CL has amazing pedigree and his work is there for everyone to see. I'm just raising the question why Malcolm would think someone is better suited to lead the operation - only for Hyundai to pinch the man who was sidelined and put full faith in him with a blank cheque.