Hyundai WRT

[ouvreur]

If as rumoured Tanak leaves Hyundai, then Mikkelsen no.2 to Neuville and Sordo/Suninen sharing the third car seems like a good plan.

So, the plan is...

-Have their weakest full-time driver, who's struggled with the car all season and crashed it four or five times, as the 2023 team leader
-Put a guy with zero Rally1 experience, and who was pretty mediocre the last time he worked with the team, into the car full time
-Share the third car (because that worked so well this year) between the older, reliable guy trying to wind down his career and who will only do the events he likes (of which there will likely be less next season), and another guy with zero Rally1 experience

It's a good plan alright. A good plan to finish third in the manufacturers' championship. The only saving grace is that the Puma looks like it's made out of chocolate and tinfoil, so the famously gentle Ott Tanak will probably be seeing the recovery truck as many times as Breen next year. Owners of towing companies around the world will be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of an Estonian-Irish partnership at Ford.

Hyundai might just about grab second at that rate. If they're lucky.

[meh]

About Tänak - I don't remember anymore what was the interview or precise wording, but I remember intent - "we do developments for next year". For me, by the interview he had vision and goals in the future and in Hyundai.

On the other hand - if I need to bet my own money on chances: he stay in Hyundai, go to M-Sport or retires - I would not put big money on any of those, but ratio could be something like 5-2-1.

[bandit12]

...so the famously gentle Ott Tanak will probably be seeing the recovery truck as many times as Breen next year. .

So where you get that idea, that Tanak is some kind of car wrecker?

[wyler]

So where you get that idea, that Tanak is some kind of car wrecker?

from his whole carreer?

[Rallyper]

I'm thinking exactly the same. What if Solberg was dropped because Tänak just decided to leave Hyundai? They know what Neuville delivers but Solberg still needs developing time. So to have any chance in manufactures, they need more experienced drivers.

So then they need two new top drivers. Which there aren´t on the market. The logic seems not to be there.

[RS]

So, the plan is...

-Have their weakest full-time driver, who's struggled with the car all season and crashed it four or five times, as the 2023 team leader
-Put a guy with zero Rally1 experience, and who was pretty mediocre the last time he worked with the team, into the car full time
-Share the third car (because that worked so well this year) between the older, reliable guy trying to wind down his career and who will only do the events he likes (of which there will likely be less next season), and another guy with zero Rally1 experience

It's a good plan alright. A good plan to finish third in the manufacturers' championship. The only saving grace is that the Puma looks like it's made out of chocolate and tinfoil, so the famously gentle Ott Tanak will probably be seeing the recovery truck as many times as Breen next year. Owners of towing companies around the world will be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of an Estonian-Irish partnership at Ford.

Hyundai might just about grab second at that rate. If they're lucky.

Realistically, what’s the alternative?

[djip]

I'm thinking exactly the same. What if Solberg was dropped because Tänak just decided to leave Hyundai? They know what Neuville delivers but Solberg still needs developing time. So to have any chance in manufactures, they need more experienced drivers.

It's hard to imagine that Huyndai, with all the monies they have thrown at their WRC team (have you seen their service park skyscrapper ?) cannot run 4 cars - just likke every other team. I get the idea of bringing a Mikkelsen-like driver (good n°2 to secure manu points, if not wins) then a sordo-sunninen 3rd pairing (they are pretty complementary on the events they like/dislike), but running a 4th car for young driver of the future would make a lot of sense now that there are enough chassis available. Unless there is no future ...

[AnttiL]

It's hard to imagine that Huyndai, with all the monies they have thrown at their WRC team (have you seen their service park skyscrapper ?) cannot run 4 cars - just likke every other team. I get the idea of bringing a Mikkelsen-like driver (good n°2 to secure manu points, if not wins) then a sordo-sunninen 3rd pairing (they are pretty complementary on the events they like/dislike), but running a 4th car for young driver of the future would make a lot of sense now that there are enough chassis available. Unless there is no future ...

Toyota wouldn't run four cars if it wasn't for a Japanese driver. M-Sport basically runs only one car.

[bandit12]

from his whole carreer?

Some examples from latest years please?
Just those ones witch are related with his driving style.

[ouvreur]

Realistically, what’s the alternative?

Do whatever is necessary to keep Ott Tanak, find a gearbox that can survive him, then win the 2023 WRC.

It comes down to how much HQ in Korea care. From the outside, it seems they don't give two hoots. It's October and they have no team principal, the drivers are basically out of control, and their best chance to win anything looks like he's walking away, without even a fight to keep him.

So, by all means put Mikkelsen or Paddon or Suninen or even Emil Lindholm or Yohan Rossel in the third car for the full season. But if car #8 isn't in their skyscraper next year, and they've let him walk away, that shows how serious they are about winning.

Anything else is just playing at it.