Rally news
Estonian world champion pledges that intra-squad harmony will break out
Reigning World Rally champion
Ott Tanak has scotched talk of a potentially damaging rivalry between himself and Thierry
Neuville inside the Hyundai team for next season.
Tanak completed his first test aboard an i20 Coupe WRC last week and, while he declined to comment on the details of the test (see Motorsport News on January 1 for a full report), admitted he was looking forward to starting his title defence with the South Korean squad.
Given the Belgian’s undisputed number one status at Hyundai since
2014, some feel it could be difficult for Tanak to establish his authority, despite his world champion status.
Asked if he felt he was joining Neuville’s team, Tanak replied: “Actually, [team boss] Andrea [Adamo] invited me to join his team, so I can say I am going to join the Adamo team!
“In the end we are the drivers to do the job. It’s a new year and we start with a blank sheet of paper. Nobody has any points and we are all going to fight for our own championship and for the teams’ championship – it’s as simple as that. I don’t see any problems.
“From my side, I can say I’m professional and I have a job to do. As a team, I’m confident we are very, very strong together with Thierry. I’m sure there will be a big fight [in the team], but as long as the fight stays in the stages, I don’t see any problems. And normally it should work out that this is the case: if you have a strong team-mate then it makes the team stronger. I know Thierry and I will be pushing the team for the development of the car. It’s going to be an exciting season.”
Talking more about his decision to leave Toyota, Tanak said: “It’s always easier to stay where you are, but I feel plenty of motivation to keep pushing. I can’t stay on one title, I have to have more. Through the year I kept in touch with Adamo and he’s the kind of guy who likes to push as much as I do. I hope we can have a good match with the full motivation to fight for the championship – that’s my feeling: that’s the team to be in to fight for the championship.”
Beyond any potential rivalry inside the team, Tanak says Sebastien Ogier will be a danger man following his switch to Toyota. Like Tanak, the Frenchman got his first taste of his new 2020 wheels in the French Alps on Sunday and Monday.
“I know which tools I had when I was at Toyota and I know [what] he has to drive next year,” said Tanak. “Ogier is always a threat, he’s a sporting guy who can be aggressive and go for what he wants. No doubt he will go for everything next season. He and I, we start in the same place, we both have a lot to learn for the new year with the new team.
“Toyota is a professional place and generally the team is good – I’m sure he will get some big support. Toyota’s a team which always wants to win. We will have some big fights next year, but I’m sure they will be fair fights for the title.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing technical director Tom Fowler told MN he is comfortable with the level of technical knowledge Tanak has taken with him from Toyota to Hyundai regarding the 2020 car.
“We don’t have a huge amount of work coming with the car for early next season,” said Fowler. “Ott will know we have focused on some weight saving, but he doesn’t know the areas – which are deep within the car – where we’ve been working. The only other [homologation] joker we’re playing is on gear ratios, which is designed to deal with the torque from the engine and extend the life of the gearboxes.
“We’re not concerned about what
Ott knows about our car.”
The Monte test was your first time driving the current car, how difficult is it to jump in the car and be ready? “It’s not the easiest way to do it. But for Monte and, I think, at least the first few events it’s just learning the car. You have to learn so many things, this is a different car to what I drove before, so in the beginning it will be about trying to survive.
After the beginning of the season then let’s see how it goes.”
What’s the reaction to your news like in Finland?
“I think it was quite big news for many people and everybody in Finland is supporting quite much, this is nice to see.”
What’s the pressure like? “There is, anyway, no chance for me to be fast in the beginning of the season, I’m just learning the car and hanging in there with the big boys, trying to learn some of the new tricks and the speed and maybe after that we can start to try to do some results.”
Is it good to have experienced team-mates in Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans?
“It’s nice to have these guys, like you say they have a lot of experience already. Even if they do something differently or do something by themselves then we can learn from them and how they are setting the car up and why.”
You’re a 19-year-old, what’s normal life like at home – do you still see much of your mates?
“I still see some of my friends, there’s still time for this. But with Skoda Motorsport testing last season, there were quite a lot of days away from Finland. It will be busy like this again, for sure.”