There has been speculation that the 2019 world champion is once again eyeing a move towards Toyota, as Kalle Rovanperä is set to end his rally career, at least for now, after this season. With Rovanperä’s decision, a lead driver’s seat will become available at Toyota, although Oliver Solberg is also likely to be in contention for the same spot.
After his championship win, Tänak moved to Hyundai, a team he has represented with the exception of one season when the Estonian joined M-Sport for the 2023 campaign. Toyota has, however, once again demonstrated its superiority this year, and Hyundai has not been able to match the Japanese manufacturer’s pace in its development work. Hyundai’s motorsport boss, Andrew Wheatley, admits that negotiations with Tänak regarding next season are still ongoing.
“I think we’re still in negotiation at the moment. I think we’re getting very close to the end of the year, and we need to understand exactly what the situation is. But from my perspective, it’s not fixed, and there’s still work to do. We have to understand how we can sort that out quickly,” Wheatley told.
According to Wheatley, Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux are certain to continue with Hyundai. The team would gladly keep Tänak in its ranks as well, but the decision rests with the Estonian.
“He’s the one that’s the challenge. I think the other two guys are clearly committed to the program, but clearly there’s still work to do. And I think from our perspective, it’s not so much about what the what we can do as a team. It’s more about what Ott has in the rest of his life going on,” Wheatley summed up.
“These guys are travelling all the time . When you’re travelling from test to rally, test to rally, test to rally, and you turn around and realise your family is getting bigger. It’s not easy to do that. And these people are driven to win. We would love to have him in the team. He is absolutely the we think the best person to go and fight with Thierry and Adrian. But it’s absolutely his decision.”
It is surely Hyundai’s poor results that have led Tänak to consider his future. At this weekend’s Rally Japan, Hyundai is once again a clear underdog. The focus has already shifted firmly towards next year.
“This weekend is about the development process. We drove a lot on the shakedown stage this morning to better understand how the car behaves in different conditions. We need a great deal of data to optimise our car’s performance,” Wheatley explains.
“This car is only six months old, and we began its development in the middle of the season. That is never easy. We know that the Toyota drivers fighting for the championship will be tough to beat here. We have to make sure we keep improving step by step.”
