THE OPPOSITION M-SPORT HAS TO BEAT

Despite increased backing from Ford, M-sport cannot afford to relax and will face a stern challenge from reigning WRC manufacturers’ champion Toyota and rival Hyundai. Both factory teams have faced similar challenges in developing their new cars for the season, and neither team can be sure of how their new creations will fare until the stage times start coming in at Monte Carlo.

Toyota has developed its allnew GR Yaris, which takes design cues from the new Yaris road car, but that’s where the similarities end. Speaking at the official launch, Toyota sporting director Kaj Lindstrom was pleased with the effort from his team in developing the GR Yaris, but expects the car will undergo minor changes as the season progresses.

“A lot of work has been put into it to get the package ready and we are happy with it, let’s see,” said Lindstrom. “The whole package is completely different and for the drivers there is nothing to compare it to, it is so different from the previous car.

“I think it’s never easy if something is fundamentally wrong on the car, but I believe we have investigated everything and we are in that situation that for sure there will be some minor changes, but nothing major on the car itself.”

Hyundai has perhaps faced the most challenges in preparing its new i20 N, starting with being the last marque to give the green light to commit to the new Rally1 regulations. Added to that, its team principal of six years Andrea Adamo left the squad in December, citing personal reasons, just days after Thierry Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe walked away from a testing crash that significantly damaged their new test mule.

While the team searches for a new boss, powertrain manager Julien Moncet has been appointed deputy team director and he is confident that the development of the i20 N has not been affected.

“It has been really challenging and really sudden and a brandnew world for me and a lot of new things to learn,” says Moncet. “I try to do my best, but thankfully the structure of the team is still in place and it has had no impact in the development of the car.”

While nobody knows which team has done its homework best in the off-season, there are no question marks surrounding Toyota’s and Hyundai’s ability to produce championship contenders.