Hyundai next “Red Bull Racing of WRC”?
Boss wants Hyundai to be a household name
Is Hyundai the next “Red Bull of WRC”? Cyril Abiteboul aims to transform his Hyundai team into the Red Bull Racing of the World Rally Championship, with Ott Tanak as its Max Verstappen. As the former Renault Formula 1 boss, Abiteboul is working towards turning the Hyundai squad into a title-winning force. He has appointed former Volkswagen WRC and Williams F1 technical director, Francois Xavier Demaison, to lead its technical department.
Recently, Hyundai signed the 2019 world champion Ott Tanak from M-Sport to strengthen its 2024 driver line-up alongside Thierry Neuville. Tanak had previously won five races driving an i20N between 2020 and 2022.
In a recent interview with WRC.com, Abiteboul shared his vision for Hyundai, inspired by the success of the Red Bull F1 team and Verstappen. He emphasized the importance of a winning strategy and goal-oriented approach, which he believes are the key factors behind Red Bull’s recent success. Abiteboul expressed his desire for Hyundai to become the Red Bull Racing of the WRC, with Ott as their Max Verstappen. If Ott were to join Formula 1, Abiteboul is confident he would be driving for Red Bull Racing.
Chasing the Title
Hyundai has not yet led a driver to a world rally title, despite securing consecutive manufacturer championships in 2019 and 2020. As previously stated, Hyundai has already begun to improve its i20N Rally1 vehicle for the upcoming season. The team has decided to use its development joker window in October to concentrate on enhancing the car’s reliability, which will debut early next year.
Afterward, the team will shift its focus to performance upgrades as they pursue Toyota, the current WRC pacesetters, who have won the last three manufacturers’ and drivers’ titles. “We have accomplished what we needed to. We still have to pass homologation later on, so we are aware of what we need to do, and we have a solid idea of what to pursue in 2024,” Abiteboul informed Autosport. “The 2024 jokers are already well advanced in their development, and FX is responsible for the technical strategy.”