The team’s Estonian star, Ott Tänak, felt that the updates worked well, although a technical issue slightly slowed him down on Saturday’s stages in Sweden. However, Tänak said that the direction was right and that the car now felt better to drive.
Despite this, Hyundai has decided that for the upcoming WRC round in Kenya, they will revert to the older version of the i20 N Rally1 car. According to Tänak, there is a clear reason for the decision.
“We are back to the old car. So we just that we know that the reliability is there and it’s kind of rally where the reliability is the priority,” Tänak stated.
Regardless of driving feel, the undeniable fact is that Toyota has dominated Hyundai drivers in the first two rounds of the season. In Monte-Carlo and Sweden, Toyota’s WRC team secured the maximum haul by taking a one-two finish in all possible points categories: the overall standings, Super Sunday, and the Power Stage.
After just two rounds, Hyundai has already fallen 48 points behind.
“It’s more like Toyota has been very, very strong, like twice a maximum points already. So for sure they are doing a very good job at the moment,” Tänak acknowledged, giving credit to the rival team.
“It’s something where we need to catch up and for sure do better in the next race,” the Hyundai star emphasised.
