There could be unexpected movement in the driver market of the World Rally Championship (WRC) for the 2023 season. Although Ott Tänak is still contractually bound to Hyundai for the coming year, speculation has it that the Estonian could leave the South Korean manufacturer’s factory team to join M-Sport.
When asked after the Acropolis Rally whether he would actually continue to drive for Hyundai in 2023, Tänak answered evasively: “We’ll see about that next year.”
And Hyundai’s statements are anything but a confirmation of Tänak’s whereabouts. “I don’t do the contracts, but let me put it this way: even if a driver has a contract, he can leave, just like in football,” said assistant team boss Julien Moncet.
Tensions have existed between Hyundai and Tänak for some time. The 2009 world champion had openly vented his frustration with the long uncompetitive i20 N Rally1 this season. Tänak had also criticized Hyundai’s team structure.
Team order as a stumbling block?
Since Andrea Adamo’s departure at the end of 2021, the position of team boss has been vacant and is temporarily filled by Moncet, who is actually the head of drive development.
From the Estonian’s point of view, the camel’s last straw might have been the team orders at the Acropolis Rally. Hyundai Motorsport President Sean Kim had interfered in the day-to-day operations and instructed the drivers to hold their positions in order to secure the historic triple victory.
As a result, second-placed Tänak saw himself deprived of a fair fight against his team-mate Thierry Neuville, who was ultimately able to win the rally, although Tänak is better placed in the championship.
M-Sport wants to sign a top driver
All of this could make Tänak jump off – despite the existing contract. “We will discuss the future with him, as we do with all our drivers,” Moncet told Motorsport.com. “This is normal. When our driver line-up for 2023 is officially set, we will announce it in due course.”
The first option for a change would be M-Sport for Tänak, as Toyota is very likely to stick with the current drivers. It would be a return for the Estonian to the team he drove for in the WRC between 2011 and 2017.
And M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson makes no secret of the fact that he is looking for a driver of Tänaks caliber for 2023. “That’s out of the question. My priority is to find a top driver,” Wilson said in an interview with “Motorsport.com” after the Ypres Rally.