Andreas Mikkelsen

[AnttiL]

Hyundai will choose to nominate 3 of the 4 drivers to score pts before each rally.

would, not will, nothing confirmed yet and Hyundai has stated that Mikkelsen is just testing the car. The team has also stated last December that they cannot have four drivers this season, hence sacking Abbring and not even trying to get Ogier.

[er88]

would, not will, nothing confirmed yet and Hyundai has stated that Mikkelsen is just testing the car. The team has also stated last December that they cannot have four drivers this season, hence sacking Abbring and not even trying to get Ogier.

There is just no way Hyundai let Andreas test the car without a deal being in the pipeline for him. The only question is whether Mikkelsen gets a drive from Portugal onwards, or whether he will just take on a test and development role this season, before he starts competing from 2018 onwards. He's going to sign a long term deal with them. And Hyundai can have 4 cars, as has previously been mentioned. Abbring was let go because he wasn't good enough

[AnttiL]

. And Hyundai can have 4 cars, as has previously been mentioned.

The rules allow it, yes, but it's a different thing whether they have resources for it.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Close friends and hear they live next door to each other in Monaco...

[Rally Power]

Yep, Mikkelsen joining Hyundai it's a big surprise but it makes sense to see the Koreans betting all chips to get this year championship. Citroen and Toyota clearly don’t have a driver's line up strong enough to challenge Hyundai and without Ford’s full backing MSport resources can’t be compared to those of Hyundai. Hopefully next year competition will get stronger but ’17, with now Neuville and Mikkelsen as frontrunners and Sordo and Paddon probably sharing the third car, it seems will be Hyundai’s year!

[AnttiL]

https://mobile.twitter.com/voiceofra...90986721689600

pretty sure this is a commercial deal. Don't exclude other offers coming in

[AL14]

Yep, Mikkelsen joining Hyundai it's a big surprise but it makes sense to see the Koreans betting all chips to get this year championship. Citroen and Toyota clearly don’t have a driver's line up strong enough to challenge Hyundai and without Ford’s full backing MSport resources can’t be compared to those of Hyundai. Hopefully next year competition will get stronger but ’17, with now Neuville and Mikkelsen as frontrunners and Sordo and Paddon probably sharing the third car, it seems will be Hyundai’s year!

Also they're securing Mikkelsen for the future years (and taking him from the competition). Add to it that he is a big friend of Thierry, which means less arguments inside the team...
Maybe the only cons is the fact that it will be very difficult, at this point, to eventually get Ogier next year.

[Mintexmemory]

Also they're securing Mikkelsen for the future years (and taking him from the competition). Add to it that he is a big friend of Thierry, which means less arguments inside the team...
Maybe the only cons is the fact that it will be very difficult, at this point, to eventually get Ogier next year.

So team orders will ensure that Thierry gets support from AM? While there is a contest that may get Hyundai the manufacturer's title I still see Ogier's consistency taking the driver contest.

[AL14]

So team orders will ensure that Thierry gets support from AM? While there is a contest that may get Hyundai the manufacturer's title I still see Ogier's consistency taking the driver contest.

Agree with Ogier taking WDC.
My statement about less argument was not about this year's support to Thierry. I was generally speaking. It's more likely to see them two cooperating for the team since they are close friends.

[mknight]

On first thought it is surprising. But on second thought it would actually make a lot of sense.
Hyundai has seen after first rallies that they have a car capable of winning manu champ, but Paddon seems out of form.
So hiring Mikkelsen as 2nd driver and switching Paddon and Sordo on gravel/tarmac would maximize their chances.

That said no contract is signed. Hearing Mikkelsen, it seems he wants a multi-year deal. Signals from Toyota are quite mixed and Citroen's program/plans has been strange for quite a while so anything can happen. The only team out of question is definitely Ford, pretty sure they have enough issues with finding money for Ogier+car development and desperate in trying to keep him for more than 1 year.
Interesting times anyway.