Ott Tänak told the Estonian magazine Delfi why he is moving back to Hyundai.
Ott Tänak will drive for Hyundai again next season. Vesa Pöppönen / All Over Press
Ott Tänak too the career at M-Sport will last one season, as the champion driver will return next season to Hyundai, whose steering wheel he also turned in 2020–2022.
The move is a bit surprising, as Virolainen left Hyundai at the end of last season “with a bang”, when the car was not to his liking.
However, there have been changes in the team since last year. An acquaintance from the F1 series became the team manager Cyril Abiteboul and technical director Francois-Xavier Demaison.
With the changes, Tänak is now ready to return to the South Korean team.
– It has been understood there that the problems and shortcomings that Hyundai had in previous years prevented great success. The stable has now taken the necessary steps forward to make it stronger, Tänak said For Delphi.
According to the champion driver, Hyundai managed to prove to him that the team is again ready to work hard for championships.
– When we agreed on things, it seemed that we could cooperate again.
There’s no swag
According to Tänk, continuing with M-Sport was not possible, although he discussed the matter with the team manager by Malcolm Wilson with.
– We both understood that I cannot achieve my goals there in the near future.
According to Tänak, M-Sport’s problem is money – or more precisely, the lack of it.
– We have not succeeded in developing the technology. There were new differentials at the beginning of the year, but since then there have been no updates – and as far as I know there won’t be any, Tänak revealed.
– This was one of the reasons why it was difficult for me to sign a new extension contract. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a car that suits me. This has been a difficult year.
Despite all the problems, Tänak has won two races this season and is fourth in the drivers’ World Championship points. He is only nine points away from the bronze position held by Hyundai’s No. 1 driver Thierry Neuville.