The 14-time European champion operates two Peugeot 208 RX1es for sons Timmy and Kevin, fitted with spec twin-motor Kreisel Electric powertrains that produce 500kW.
All three races so far have been won by VW Polo driver Johan Kristoffersson, with Kevin Hansen taking second in the Norway season-opener last month before Timmy Hansen took a brace of seconds in the Riga double-header.
Hansen Sr told Autosport he was “very positive” about the championship’s electric revamp, but believes the cars have the potential to “be quite [a lot] faster than we are” with more mileage to optimise mapping and some software improvements.
This will be subject to talks with the FIA to ensure that the driver still predominantly has control and that teams aren’t granted so much freedom, that those with the best-funding dominate.
Depending on the circuit and conditions, Hansen believes the cars are already “very close or even on 100%” of their potential in some cases, “but sometimes perhaps we are on 85%”.
“What we’ve started with is very good,” he said.
“Now we just need to work and take it more forward. I think if we get a little more [performance], for sure this is the fastest cars that ever will be at the moment on a rallycross track.
“I’m very positive we started like we did. But it has more potential so we look forward to get that out of the cars.”
World RX heads to Montalegre in Portugal this weekend for rounds five and six of the 2022 championship.
Hansen believes the electric cars “will struggle a little more” on the looser surface compared to the Riga “where it was quite good grip, we struggled less on the majority of the lap”.
However, he has been “positively surprised” by the spectacle provided by the electric cars, stating he “expected it to be less sound”.
“On-track, I feel that you don’t really notice about the sound so much, it’s more the battles and the fights and so on,” he said.
“And from what I have heard from people around, they are positively surprised about what they see. I don’t know exactly what they expected, but it’s a positive way.”
He added that his biggest priority is to see more cars enter the championship, with eight cars contesting the opening three races.
Guerlain Chicherit’s GCK Motorsport operation is currently developing a Lancia Delta that is set to join the championship later in the year.
