Andreas Mikkelsen could have contested the full 2024 WRC season for M-Sport, but opted for a part-time program with Hyundai: The reasons
A full season in the World Rally Championship (WRC) for M-Sport or a part-time program at Hyundai: Andreas Mikkelsen was faced with this choice in the run-up to the 2024 WRC season. And the Norwegian opted for what at first glance appears to be the less attractive option at Hyundai, where he has to share the third car with Esapekka Lappi and Dani Sordo.
In the medium term, however, Mikkelsen believes he has made the better decision. “I see more of a future here [at Hyundai]. I think Hyundai is really well positioned in the World Rally Championship,” Mikkelsen told Autosport,
“I would say Ford is halfway there,” says the Norwegian, assessing the situation at M-Sport. “We all know that it’s Malcolm [Wilson, M-Sport boss] and his team. He gets a certain budget from Ford, but it’s hard to say what the future looks like there.”
“We could have had a full program at M-Sport,” reveals Mikkelsen. But he decided against it and opted for Hyundai, where he was convinced by the restructuring under Cyril Abiteboul, who was recently promoted to President of Hyundai Motorsport, and in particular the appointment of Francois-Xavier “FX” Demaison as Technical Director.
“You have to think about your options, also in the long term, and when you see the people at Hyundai with Cyril and FX, who I know very well from Volkswagen, they are people I trust,” says Mikkelsen. “That’s why I think Hyundai is the best choice for me, and not just for this year.”
Mikkelsen already competed for Hyundai in the WRC from 2017 to 2019, but then lost his cockpit in the South Korean manufacturer’s works team. After four years, he fought his way back into the WRC premier class via the WRC2, where Mikkelsen won his second title in 2023.
“It’s a one-year contract for me, but I hope it can be more if I perform well. I think that would only be natural,” says Mikkelsen, who will be competing for Hyundai at the 2024 season opener in Monte Carlo (January 25 to 28).
“The nice thing about Monte is that you don’t have to be 100 percent with the car there to get a good result because there are so many other factors,” says Mikkelsen. “I’m happy to be competing in Monte, even if it is very difficult.”
