The team principal and the CEO of Hyundai Motorsport, Cyril Abiteboul, says that Ott Tanak and Thierry Neuville are free to fight against each other for the WRC title this year, but admits that they will not give team orders for now.
Tanak rejoined Hyundai Motorsport for this season and has Thierry Neuville again as his teammate despite the fact that they were not in good terms back in 2022 when both of them were driving for the Korean car brand. In fact, Neuville doubted about Tanak's problems in Belgium two years ago while Julien Moncet, the former team principal, let Neuville win the Acropolis Rally instead of Tanak who was the closest title contenders to Kalle Rovanpera. The 2019 WRC Champion reached an agreement with M-Sport Ford last year despite the fact that his contract with Hyundai would have expired at the end of 2023. During out interview with Tanak earlier this year, he revealed to us that he had signed a pre-contract with Hyundai Motorsport for this season if the team had a better structure. Since Rovanpera is a part-time driver in 2024, Neuville, Tanak and Elfyn Evans are the three title contenders, but Tanak reeled more in Neuville at the end of Rally Latvia as their gap is now at eight points.
"Of course, they can fight, and they have to fight", Abiteboul said.
"If one of the two is not fighting, it means probably losing a position to our competition from a team perspective or in the drivers’ championship, which we have no reason to do at this point.
"I would say that we would not be shy if there is a necessity to back one of our drivers in the future, but I don't think that there is a necessity to right now.
"We've done some stuff over the weekend that maybe went under the radar.
"Esapekka let Thierry go by on Friday and played a team game and that helps.
"These are the sort of things that we are doing.
"But when it's so tight, and Elfyn is very close obviously and Ogier is coming back quick I don’t think there is much you can ask for at this point in the season, so we'll keep on pushing for giving the best possible condition to these two guys and if something was to occur in the season, we would do it.
"But it's obviously not the right moment".
Source: Motorsport.com
Photo Credits: Hyundai
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