Ott signed a contract for three years. Unfortunately, there are still 2 years left in this agreement :(
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Ott signed a contract for three years. Unfortunately, there are still 2 years left in this agreement :(
Wouldn’t be surprised at all if he retiresQuote:
Originally Posted by Eli
Wasn't it one year, with possibilities to extend?Quote:
Originally Posted by maailmameister
It was a multi-year deal which usually means 2+1Quote:
Originally Posted by bandit12
Asked where he finds his motivation, he simply replied: “There is no other option to be honest.”
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/tanak...ed-on-hyundai/
I wonder if WRC contracts could include performance clause like Max Verstappen has/had in F1? There was an "escape clause" in the event that they can no longer provide Max with a competitive car then he could go wherever he wants.
I am struggling to feel extremely sorry for Tanak atm.
In 2019 he had warnings of people struggling with the car (in chronological order: Paddon, Mikkelsen, Loeb), but it seemed Hyundai was on the way up with Adamo's leadership (that didn't ignore driver feedback) and some 2019 performances. (Tanak himself mentioned Neuville at 2019 GB).
Two years later he has had enough own experience in the team to be able to make well weighted decision and was in the team to develop the new car. There were tons of comments on how new car is being made for his style etc.
But I also do not really understand the graveyard "mood" here and in his comments. Both Sweden and Croatia were good performance wise. Portugal was basically the first time the car was on gravel, hard to expect miracles. Monte also looked much worse than Croatia and they did comparably much more testing for it.
Reliability is a worry, but again the car is little tested/driven at the moment.
Does this bad mood come more from seeing the Rovanpera+Toyota combination? If you look at Evans he is not that impressive this year besides Portugal (which he also won last year).
But where would he escape to? retirement is the only option. Toyota don't want him and Ford wont pay his big salary.Quote:
Originally Posted by flat_right
Progress made according to Ott. We will see next week
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...53c548e2df.jpg
just remember this for posterity. This will not age well.Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
I think it's more PR and from Hyundai HQ, rather than real improvement.
Can't be that now one testd ay did all good.
IMO Moncet could not grow charisma if he tried. Either you have it or not. He does not.
He might be a good boss, but not as top dog in a manu team.
That’s why I said we will see, I’m skeptical tooQuote:
Originally Posted by TypeR
And actually there’s written there was process not that all good
Can you specify? I didn't find anything from that post. So must be somewhere else?Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/hyund...n-reliability/
Well that doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season, I mean, it’s not like we didn’t know it before but still.
Adamo could clearly see all this coming after the delay in Hyundai confirming their 2022 participation.
He hasn't taken another job so didnt leave for that reason and he said to Dirtfish the other day he's 'a retired man'.
https://www.autosport.com/wrc/news/n...-wrc/10311094/
'Thierry Neuville says Hyundai's ongoing reliability issues are becoming "very frustrating" and contributing to Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera running away in the World Rally Championship title race.'
Neuville remains Rovanpera's nearest rival in the championship standings after Rally Portugal, but is already facing a 46-point deficit after the Finn scored his third consecutive victory.
The Belgian has encountered mechanical or technical issues in all four rallies to date, with his prospects of a possible victory in Portugal last weekend ending when a driveshaft failure struck during a road section.
Neuville had been sitting second overall, 7.0s adrift of then leader Elfyn Evans, but ended Friday 1m46.4s away from top spot before going on to finish the rally in fifth.
The failure triggered a boil-over of emotions from Neuville, having seen opportunities to win in Croatia and Sweden slip through his grasp following a combination of reliability issues and errors.
During a stage end interview, Neuville pointed to a picture on his phone to explain the issue before swearing in frustration.
Reflecting on yet another missed chance, he told Autosport: "Definitely [a podium was on] and maybe even a fight for the victory could have been possible.
"It would have been tough but we were right behind Elfyn before the issues, so there was a lot to play for but unfortunately the problem arrived and we did the best out of the situation.
When asked about trying to stay calm in these situations, he replied: "It is getting more and more difficult to be honest.
"It is very frustrating, we are here to fight for the championship. I have won rallies and been on the podium, but the target is to win the championship.
"We can see now that already one driver is pulling away, so there is already quite big gap and it makes it difficult to catch back up.
"We can only congratulate Toyota on their performance and their reliability, which is something we are clearly missing. That is making a big difference at the moment.
"That is why they are so strong and that is why Kalle can score victory after victory. This is something we need very soon.
"We are close [to Toyota on performance] but we are not on the level yet, we have to work a bit more. I feel comfortable in the car and I feel I know exactly what to work on to make it faster."
Neuville's team-mate Ott Tänak has also been critical of the i20 N's reliability concerns after a challenging 2021 season during which fragility cost both he and Neuville shots at the title.
"We are quite far, there are plenty of jobs to do, and many things quite open," said Tänak.
"It has generally been difficult to get the confidence we need, but there's no other option than hard work to try and turn things around."
Hyundai has faced an uphill struggle with its 2022 Rally1 car, exacerbated by the manufacturer being the last to commit to the new rule package. The departure of team boss Andrea Adamo also affected the operation's structure, while development of the i20 N has been limited.
The car has made progress from a disastrous Monte Carlo debut in January, scoring four podiums, with its latest a third in Portugal courtesy of Dani Sordo.
Deputy team director Julien Moncet, who has been acting as team boss, is aware of the i20 N's weaknesses but says only more mileage will improve its reliability.
"We know we have a lot of work ahead of us," Moncet told Autosport.
"Sardinia is a short time [away], but we will do out best and we should really try to avoid these reliability issues. The performance of the car is okay.
"For that we need mileage and we need time. We go step by step but let's hope we will be able to fix them as soon as possible."
Erm, OK. Huh? How?Quote:
Originally Posted by Eli
And also just my opinion: it's wrong to copy/paste an entire free article. I don't know if you are the author.
Adamo interview stating he left for health reasons (and perhaps because he didnt agree with the new hybrid cars)...
https://www.rallyssimo.it/2022/05/28...-andrea-adamo/
"I had to dedicate myself to my health and nothing else, that became my priority."
"I am still convinced today, after seeing the race in Portugal as a retiree who goes to see a WRC race instead of the road construction sites, that this regulation was a mistake. I am convinced that today’s cars should have been Rally2, with a bigger restrictor, maybe a more eye-catching wing and rear bumper."
If he left for health reasons why is he on dirt fish and every rally every chance he gets?
Come on.
That's nothing like having the pressure of being responsible for running the Hyundai WRT and it's late Rally1 car.Quote:
Originally Posted by logic
it's very different going to a pub from being the bartender...Quote:
Originally Posted by logic
Gentlemen, please stop! It‘s him who is responsible for all the shit Hyunday has now.
I can't believe that Hyundai waiting until the last minute was HIS fault. Most of the problems Hyundai is facing is because they had so little time to prepare for the season.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gonek
Anyway, on a positive note, Ott sounded reasonably happy during the interview for Estonian media. Lately Ott and the guy who is interviewing (Peep Pahv) click quite ok, so Ott is quite open and giving nice answers, which couldn't be said couple of years ago. I translated the whole interview again so you could decide yourself.
Q: Ott Tänak, it's been a week and a half since the Rally Portugal. How much could you now repair the car and make any changes?
A: After Portugal, we were able to do a one-day test here in Sardinia. It was definitely much more positive than the test before Portugal. We were able to drive reasonable kilometers, there were no major technical problems during the test. The whole day was useful and went well. In Portugal, it was bad enough and we managed to learn from there and the test went a little better. I am certainly more positive before Sardinia than before Portugal.
Q: The information that you gathered in Portugal, could you manage to take and use some of it for this rally?
A: Let’s say that since the two rallies are linked, for example, transmissions and other things that cannot be changed and must stay the same, there we couldn't do anything. But at the same time, the chassis settings and such things, we were able to move to our working window much better. There should definitely come some positive feedback from there. Hopefully everything will work the same way on the rally. In general, yes, it was an efficient test day.
Q: Rally Sardenga has always suited Hyundai, with victories and other good results. Although the car has changed, is it still possible to transfer some of it to the current car so that Hyundai knows what it takes to win here?
A: The old Hyundai car was always very good in rough or difficult rallies, because it was designed to be relatively high. And where it had to be driven with a high ground clearance, it performed better than other cars. Again, this car is designed a little lower so that you can drive faster in other faster rallies. I can't tell if it should be here above all else, we’ll see. It's hard to say before the rally. I personally don’t think that Rally Sardegna will be harder than Portugal. In fact, in Portugal there were some special stages that were in a very bad shape.
Q: There has been a lot of talk about heat. Today it is already quite warm and it's getting hotter. Has anything been done to improve the situation of co-drives in the car? Did you manage to add some heat shielding or anything?
A: It was already covered before. After all, if heat wants to penetrate, it will penetrate through. The FIA allowed us to use mirrored glass and it should shed a little of the outside sun. And a few holes were allowed to be made so maybe a little more air could move inside the car. It's bits and pieces here and there. It's going to be like sitting on a stove, especially for Martin. But in general, the car heats up inside and if it is 40 degrees outside, it can be doubled inside the car. We’ll see how tough it is going to be. Sitting in the sauna for 15-20 minutes is okay, but it's hard to prepare for doing it for 12 hours.
Q: Could you already understand during the test how much benefit this gold-colored film has?
A: Actually, during the test, we had a quite okay temp, 22-25 degrees. It wasn't very crazy. The test also always means that we drive back and forth and, in the meantime, we turn around and have to wait until the dust disappears. And then the whole engine system cools down. During the test it won't reach the same temperatures as on the rally.
Q: The heat will definitely affect the tires. How severe the combination of road and heat is going to be for the tires?
A: It's definitely one of the hardest rallies for the tires during the season. Firstly, in terms of durability. During the recce, we could see that there were a relatively large number of loose stones. You have to be ready for surprises there. Secondly, highly abrasive roads combined with temperatures make it equally challenging for tyre wear. I think it’s going to be rather complicated, especially for those cars that start early. Then if there is loose gravel, you would need a soft tire that would better absorb these ball bearings on the ground. But while it's so hot, it obviously overheats right away. This tyre choice will be a headache.
Q: Rally Sardegna is symbolically an important place for you. Here you got your first victory. After that, of course, there have been many more. But how often do you remember that you won here and the moment goes through your head?
A: At the moment I haven't thought about it. These things will happen sometimes in the future and of course they are special. Looking back, it was definitely a very important moment in my career. Until then, we had been very close several times, and in order for the system to work, let's say this cap needed to be removed. At that moment, it was done, and since then we have been close other times, and even until the last stage coming quite safely. Sardinia is such a harsh place where you can always be surprised.
And why was that?Quote:
Originally Posted by flat_right
I'll give you one guess which team was the first to place an order for a hybrid kit?
And I'll give you one guess which team manager thought he could stop the FIA from going ahead with hybrid?
Yes Adamo was against hybrid. But once the regulations were decided it was Hyundai HQ who delayed the decision for their team to take part in 2022Quote:
Originally Posted by Lancia Stratos
Ha! That was the official line, yes........Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
So what you are telling us that once the regulations were agreed and confirmed, Adamo was still saying no, we are not doing this and was just waiting... Amazing. Any proof?Quote:
Originally Posted by Lancia Stratos
Tanak after Sardinia win...Quote:
Originally Posted by TypeR
"Luckily, we had a test day between Portugal and Sardinia and we could continue working and we definitely did some good improvements. Before the rally, I was much more confident in the car. Obviously, it has worked out pretty well."
TÄNAK AWARE “BIG THINGS” STILL NEED TO CHANGE WITH HYUNDAI
“It’s definitely a big job for the guys, because we haven’t done any development on gravel for this car at all. So I mean now every rally is like a development for us, and step-by-step we are learning and just have to see how fast we can react.
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/tanak...-with-hyundai/
Still maybe a possibility to fight for a win in Estonia/Finland, perhaps New-Zealand? I mean, he did manage to win last weekend, sure he had a bit of luck but Sardegna was one of the tougher challenges of the season.Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
May I just say... LOL...Quote:
Originally Posted by logic
https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/neuvi...e-to-be-fixed/
It looks like a long road ahead before Hyundai get back on it’s two feet, I hope they manage that sooner rather than later and get things sorted so at least they'll have a (probably slim) chance winning the manufacturer’s title.
Maybe it's a bit too much at the moment to hope win's from fast rallies. Yes, Tänak likes them, but I'm not sure about Hyundai. Sardinia was relatively slow rally compared to those mentioned ones. At the same time - there are 3 pilots for low-altitude-flying jobs in (The Aero) Toyota.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eli
Well in any case, I hope their win in Sardegna won't be their one and only win this season.Quote:
Originally Posted by meh
As they have now base in Finland, I am quite positive that they can find some good setups from there as there are no restrictions for testing.
Exactly. And the speed was good at fast Rally Sweden.Quote:
Originally Posted by flat_right
They just need to sort out their reliability (not on the account of speed of course).Quote:
Originally Posted by EstWRC
I've never been a fan of Hyundai, but even I was glad to see the progress they seem to have made. It's so mportant for the WRC to keep them in the series and to have them and their drivers competitive.