After his first test following his return to Hyundai, Ott Tänak is confident about the 2024 WRC season: i20 N Rally1 now much more finely tuned
After his return from M-Sport to the Hyundai works team in the World Rally Championship (WRC), Ott Tänak completed his first test in the current i20 N Rally1 and was pleasantly surprised. The Estonian noted significant progress compared to the car he drove for the South Korean manufacturer’s team at the end of the 2022 WRC season
“There are definitely a lot of differences. The aerodynamics look completely different from the outside,” says Tänak in an interview with Autosport,
“The team hasn’t used many other [homologation] jokers in the meantime, but some things are in better shape and work better,” the 2019 World Champion clarifies. “And in terms of the set-up, I wouldn’t say it’s too different from what we had, but it’s definitely much more fine-tuned than last year. “
However, the test in Fontjoncouse in the south of France was only partially representative due to the track conditions. “It was just a rough test on Dakar-like roads to test the reliability, and we actually achieved a very good mileage. I am quite satisfied. The conditions were like the Safari, so it was tough,” says Tänak.
Nevertheless, the progress compared to the 2022 car is unmistakable. “There were some technical issues or other limitations [with the 2022 car], but this year the performance of the car was already much better than last year,” says Tänak.
He is therefore confident about the development in the coming months. “The people here have know-how, they all know what to do and how to improve,” says Tänak. “If you know where you can improve, there are no limits. And the people know what to do, but they just needed time to do it. “
The Estonian returned to Hyundai after just one season with M-Sport, having terminated his contract with the South Koreans at the end of 2022, which was valid until 2023. Together with Thierry Neuville, Tänak will contest the entire 2024 WRC season for Hyundai. The team confirmed Esapekka Lappi, Dani Sordo and Andreas Mikkelsen as the other drivers