For the first time in years, Hyundai began the season without any part-time drivers. The team currently has three full-time entries: world champions Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak, along with Adrien Fourmaux, who joined the team this year.
Toyota, by contrast, has four full-time drivers and part-season star Sébastien Ogier competing in selected events. Hyundai has not entirely ruled out the idea of running a fourth car in selected rallies during the year.
Earlier in the spring, there was speculation that Hyundai’s long-time driver Dani Sordo might take the wheel of a fourth Rally1 car in Rally Portugal. That didn’t happen – Sordo competed in the event in a Hyundai Rally2 car instead.
Neither Sordo nor a fourth Hyundai Rally1 car appears on the entry list for Rally Sardinia in early June. However, team principal Cyril Abiteboul insists the option remains open.
“There is still a chance for the fourth car,” Abiteboul said during Rally Portugal.
“The Canaries have been a shock – let’s be honest – to the system. And when there is a shock in the system, what you need is to regroup, reflect, pause, and put some of the planned actions on standby,” the Hyundai boss added.
In the Canary Islands, Hyundai suffered a heavy defeat as Toyota secured a 1–2–3–4 finish in the asphalt round. Performance in last weekend’s Rally Portugal was significantly better for Hyundai, with the team coming close to its first victory of the season.
Abiteboul stressed that Hyundai now needs to carefully consider how best to allocate its financial resources.
“Running a fourth car means more resources – in terms of staff, financial investment, and logistics. Afterwards, you have to ask: was running a fourth car really the best way to use those resources? Maybe yes, maybe no. So in any case, we’re postponing that decision until we have a bit of a clearer picture,” Abiteboul said.
“If you enter an uncompetitive car, it doesn’t help your case. The first thing is to understand what your real level of competitiveness is. Is there anything we can do in the short term to improve it? And if we’ve got the confidence, then you can play tactics with a fourth car – that’s for sure.”
