The team principal of Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, Jari-Matti Latvala, believes that Hyundai will strengthen with Ott Tanak's arrival from 2024 and the key for his team's success will be the drivers' consistency and the reliable car.
Ott Tanak announced twelve days ago that he will rejoin Hyundai Motorsport for 2024 and will have Thierry Neuville again as his teammate while it is yet to be confirmed if the Alzenau-based team will bring four cars and who will drive the other i20N Rally1. Toyota managed to claim its seventh manufacturer title in World Rally Championship and this happened at Rally Chile despite the fact that the 2023 season is still on as Central European Rally and Rally Japan are the concluding WRC rounds for this year. In addition to that, Toyota drivers have dominated in the majority of the championship as they have won eight from eleven events so far, but the most important thing is that the drivers' and the co-drivers' titles will end up in one of the two Toyota crews (Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen, Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin).
"For sure, the challenge will be greater for us to win the championship when Tänak is going to Hyundai next year", Latvala said.
"I am very realistic with this.
"This year our asset has been that we have a very, very reliable car and we need to keep going in the same way next year.
"As well as the strong, reliable car we need our drivers to match the consistency they achieved this year – this is really important when Hyundai is coming with this line-up.
"Of course, anything can happen in the rallies, but our drivers need to take that consistent and patient way and even when they are attacking hard, we need to be thinking to the title as well as to the individual rallies".
Source: DirtFish.com
Photo Credits: Toyota
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