Hyundai wants to take the momentum of the podium result from Sweden to Rally Croatia and hopes to close the gap to Toyota and M-Sport
After a difficult start to the 2022 World Rally Championship (WRC) season, Hyundai says it has used the two-month break from racing to make up some of its development backlog. In tests, the Hyundai i20 N had shown significant improvement.
“The two-month break since Rally Sweden has been helpful as it has given us the time to regroup and reboot before we enter the next phase of the season, which starts with Rally Croatia,” said Deputy Team Principal Julien Moncet ahead of the third round of the WRC season in Croatia (21-24 April).
After Hyundai was the last of all three WRC manufacturers to start the development of the new Rally1 car, the development backlog was noticeable for the team at the season opener in Monte Carlo. The Hyundai drivers were not able to keep up with the pace of Toyota and M-Sport there.
At the second round in Sweden, Thierry Neuville scored his first success of the new season with second place. From the point of view of Moncet, who continues to lead the team on an interim basis following the surprise departure of team principal Andrea Adamo, this result was “a positive step forward as we continue to familiarise ourselves with the new hybrid regulations. “
“We are very lucky to have a great team in Alzenau who are working hard to improve our overall package,” said Moncet. “We want to consistently fight for podiums and wins throughout the season. Our aim is to continue the momentum of our recent progress and achieve a positive result on the tarmac roads of Croatia.”
The test in the run-up to the Rally Croatia showed promising signs of this. “We have made some good progress in the set-up and behaviour of the car compared to Monte Carlo. I think all the drivers could see improvements in the pre-race test,” Moncet said. “Will it be enough to catch up with the others? We’ll have to wait and see. “
