Ott Tanak believes that Hyundai can be very competitive this year despite the fact that it was the last WRC team that started its car preparations and must keep working hard throughout this season.
The Estonian driver became a World Rally Champion in 2019 when he had been a Toyota driver, but he was not able to become a WRC Champion again since he switched to Hyundai in 2020.
In fact he finished fifth overall in the driver's championship in 2021 while he did not take part in Rally Monza due to personal reasons.
On the other side, Hyundai lost the manufacturer's title from Toyota last year as the Korean team faced reliability issues with the suspension of i20 in many events in 2021.
"Let’s say the last two years have not been too successful, so for sure it is a good chance for me to work with the guys and put a good strong car together", Tanak said.
"It is good to see at the moment, and even if we started a bit late and a being a bit behind in our development, that the people are still working hard.
"I’m sure we can fight hard this year.
"There is really no idea what is the gap to the opposition or what the situation is at the moment.
"It is really challenging for everyone.
"We have been focussing on our own job and as long as we are happy with what we have done, we should be proud.
"If we keep working and try to achieve our goals, and if we can do that, then I’m sure we are going to be strong.
"The car is slowly getting there.
"The potential is there and it seems to be a good package, so we just need to learn and understand where the window is for this car and how it is working.
"To start the year reliability will be crucial.
"I guess in the beginning we just need some good mileage experience and score points, so for sure the reliability is more a priority than the performance, but let’s see.
"The guys are doing their best and hopefully it will work out".
Source: Motorsport.com
Photo Credits: Hyundai
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