Hyundai enters race to sign Tanak for 2020
Hyundai has joined the race to sign Ott Tanak for the 2020 World Rally Championship, with team boss Andrea Adamo declaring he has no qualms about chasing a 'superteam' line-up.
Adamo's opposite number at Toyota, Tommi Makinen, has always talked of the need for each of the four WRC manufacturers to have a top-line driver to help maintain the parity of competition in the series.
Amid increased talk of high-level discussions between Hyundai and Tanak, Adamo said he had a different stance.
"If I have the money I would hire all the top drivers in the championship," he told Motorsport.com. "I'm paid to win the championship and not do the promoters' job."
On the subject of negotiations with current WRC leader Tanak, Adamo said: "I think for someone like Tanak you have to have a lot of money, and I don't know if I have that money.
"So far I try to look after the people who work loyally with me and in the future we can see what we can do.
"In this moment, I have drivers in the contract with Hyundai. I think it's [been] quite nice from them. Up and down, but we have seen in Sardinia if you manage these human beings – not only them but the whole team – in the proper way you can have a good performance.
"On the other hand we cannot deny Tanak is a strong driver and I think he's one of the three at this moment that can fight for the championship."
Tanak's two-year agreement with Toyota is up at the end of this season.
Though he leads the championship and has won seven rallies with Toyota, relations between him and the team are understood to have cooled following the steering issue that cost him a win in Sardinia last time out.
Hyundai's Dani Sordo picked up that victory, with teammate Andreas Mikkelsen getting third.
Tanak has already been linked with a possible return to M-Sport, but Motorsport.com's sources indicate Hyundai is fast-becoming the most likely option if Tanak does move next season.
The championship leader would not be drawn on his plans beyond the end of 2019, only reiterating his desire to get his future sorted early in order to focus on what is looking increasingly like a down-to-the-wire title fight against Citroen's Sebastien Ogier and Hyundai's Thierry Neuville.
Dani Sordo, Carlos del Barrio, Hyundai Motorsport Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC
Photo by: Helena El Mokni / Hyundai Motorsport
Previous article
Safari Rally faces crucial vote ahead of WRC calendar return
Next article
Paddon secures last-minute M-Sport drive for Rally Finland
About this article
| Series | WRC |
| Drivers | Ott Tanak |
| Teams | Hyundai Motorsport |
| Author | David Evans |
Arctic Rally Finland: Wolf Power Stage highlights
Arctic Rally Finland: Highlights Stage 9
Arctic Rally Finland: Highlights Stages 6-8
Arctic Rally Finland: Highlights Stages 3-5
How Tanak froze out the competition at the Arctic Rally
Ott Tanak made up for a disastrous Monte Carlo Rally by leading all the way on the snow-kissed stages of the Arctic Rally Finland and in the process hit back at an event Toyota had been expected to dominate…
What to look out for in the 2021 WRC
As the 2021 World Rally Championship prepares to launch amid tight COVID-19 restrictions in Monte Carlo, here are the eight things unrelated to the pandemic that you should keep an eye on this year
Evans on the talking points of WRC 2021
He came close to the title last year, and now Toyota's Elfyn Evans gives his verdict on what to expect from 2021 as the World Rally Championship prepares to reconvene for the Monte Carlo season opener.
Why Britain's continued WRC absence is a wake-up call
With Rally GB dropping off the World Rally Championship calendar for the second year in a row, one of Britain's best-attended sporting events faces an uncertain future. It's an unfortunate situation that points to troubling times ahead
The Top 10 WRC drivers of 2020
A drastically-shortened 2020 season gave the World Rally Championship protagonists precious little stage mileage to strut their stuff, but as ever the cream rose to the top across the seven events. We rank the year's best performers
The twists and turns of a turbulent 2020 WRC season
The 2020 World Rally Championship bestrode all 12 months of the Gregorian calendar, and in terms of the competition it was a cracker. Moreover, it was an inspiration in dark days for the world and our industry.
The early setbacks that shaped the WRC's greatest driver Loeb
A series of close calls in his formative years threatened to leave rallying's top echelon tantalisingly out of reach for the man who would go on to claim nine WRC titles. In an exclusive interview, Sebastien Loeb recalls the key steps on his road to dominance.
Why the WRC's unorthodox Monza ending was a necessary one
The Monza Rally was an unusual way to end an unusual WRC season, and while far from ideal, without it the series could have faced serious ramifications. To persuade stakeholders to commit to an uncertain future, Monza was an important showcase…
