In 2003, Dani Sordo made his debut in the World Rally Championship (WRC) at the Rally Spain and has contested World Championship rounds every season since then. But whether the Spaniard will be able to celebrate his 20th anniversary in the WRC next year is still open.
“Right now I don’t know what the plan is [für die nächste Saison] looks like,” Sordo is quoted as saying on the official WRC website. “All I know is that it won’t be a full season in WRC. I have some other ideas now, some cross-country rallies, and that can be interesting too.”
Sordo, who won three WRC rallies in his WRC career, has been part of the South Korean manufacturer’s works driver squad since Hyundai returned in the 2014 season.
Since 2018, however, he has not driven a full season, instead sharing the works team’s third car with other drivers.
Fourth start of the season at the Rally Spain
In the current season, Sordo alternates with Oliver Solberg. Sordo is scheduled to make his fourth start of the season at the Rally Spain in October. The Spaniard hopes there will be some clarity about his future after his home rally.
The 39-year-old would like to continue driving in the WRC as long as he is competitive there. “I want to stay as long as I’m a good driver,” he says. “As long as I feel like I’m fast and driving well, I’m happy.”
“I don’t want to come to a rally and wait for the others to drop out so I can score points,” adds Sordo. “Right now I’m enjoying the driving and the fighting. If that’s not the case anymore, then I’ll stop.”
Situation at Hyundai still unclear
Hyundai deputy team boss Julien Moncet said after the Acropolis Rally that the team was studying possible driver options for next year.
While the collaboration with Thierry Neuville is to be continued, Ott Tänak is on the verge of retiring despite an existing contract.
The Estonian had publicly criticized the team on several occasions this season, most recently after a team order in the Acropolis Rally, which saw him lose a chance of winning.