Hyundai’s strategy for its third car is the “main question mark” regarding its 2025 World Rally Championship driver line-up, says team principal Cyril Abiteboul.
The Korean marque has fielded three i20 N Rally1s this season with two of those driven by full-time drivers in Thierry Neuville and 2019 world champion Ott Tanak, with its third car split across Esapekka Lappi, Andreas Mikkelsen and Dani Sordo.
Hyundai is yet to confirm its driver plans for next season with championship leader Neuville’s current deal set to expire at the end of the season, while the team has an option to extend Tanak’s contract after rejoining the squad from M-Sport this year.
Abiteboul says the main focus for its driver line-up for next year is centred on the third car.
“There is an ongoing process. We are talking about next year [with Thierry], he knows the place, we know him, it is a winning pair, so why would we change it?” Abiteboul told Autosport.
Neuville was quizzed about his future, adding: “There is no update, but I’m not too concerned anymore.”
When asked specifically about Tanak’s future, Abiteboul said: “There is an option, and we will talk about that. I think we enjoy working together so I think an option would be something pretty natural to be exercised.”
But in terms of the third car Abiteboul is keen to “explore scenarios” having opted to run Mikkelsen largely on asphalt events this year (Monte Carlo, Croatia), with Sweden and gravel rallies, apart from Poland, split between veteran Sordo (Portugal, Sardinia) and Lappi (Sweden, Kenya, Latvia and Finland).
Lappi has scored the most points to date with 33 from four events, including 19 from winning Rally Sweden. Mikkelsen has scored 29 points while Sordo has proved the most economical accruing 27 from only two events.
“The main question mark for us would be the strategy on the third car,” said Abiteboul.
“As for the third car I’m at a point where I want to explore scenarios. I want to be open-minded about what to do and reflect on what we did this year and assess if we have done the right thing and if it is the right thing to carry over into next year.”
Should Hyundai wish to opt for an alternative strategy and look outside its current drivers for next year, there could be various options. The team was last year linked with M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux, who is enjoying his best WRC season to date, headlined by four third-place finishes.
When asked if he had started talks about his 2025 plans, Fourmaux said: “I think it is the moment where we start the discussion. First of all, I hope I will be in a Rally1 car next year.
“As a driver, you need to be talking with everybody and if you want to be a Rally1 driver there are three teams, so you need to speak with the three teams.”
It is likely all WRC teams will be keeping an eye on WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg, who harbours a wish to return to a Rally1 car in the future following his part-time campaign with Hyundai in 2022.
“To be honest I don’t know anything about next year I have a lot of dreams and a lot of goals, but I have nothing yet,” said Solberg.
“Of course, I’m only 22 and the dream is to be back in a Rally1 obviously, but I don’t think about it too much. I will do my best now and can only focus on that.”
