CHAMP TANAK WAS IN THE SIGHTS FOR AN M-SPORT RETURN IN 2022
World champion Ott Tanak was a 2022 target for M-Sport, it has emerged.
The Estonian spent four full seasons with the Ford-supported Cumbria operation before his switch to Toyota for 2018.
M-Sport is aiming to land a bigname driver signing to lead it into the new hybrid-based Rally1 era and Tanak had been on its shortlist prior to the Estonian inking a longterm deal to remain with Hyundai, whom he joined in 2020.
“It was one of my targets to try to get Ott back for 2022,” M-Sport head Malcolm Wilson said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t successful. I fully understand his positioning and his reasoning.”
With Tanak unavailable, Wilson admitted that Sebastien Ogier, who claimed two of his seven WRC titles with M-Sport, would appeal, but preferably as a fullseason driver rather than under a partial programme, which is Ogier’s preference.
“The priority for sure would be to try to get a top driver and do what we did back in 2017, 2018 [and win the title],” Wilson said. “If we can’t achieve that and Sebastien does decide to do a limited programme it is something I would look at, we worked very well together in the past. But my main target is to try and get somebody who can lead the team for the whole season.”
Asked by reporters in Portugal if there were other options, Wilson conceded that the driver market is “diminishing on a daily basis”, but added that he would be prepared to promote from within the M-Sport ranks with drivers such as Adrien Fourmaux, Gus Greensmith and Teemu Suninen fitting the bill, depending on their progress in 2021.
“I still believe there are people out there who can lead the challenge,” Wilson said. “We’re still in discussion with various people but obviously we’ve got some good guys coming through. Everybody knows we’ve worked with young guys in the past. It’s a particular part I enjoy so let’s see what happens in the next couple of months.”
Wilson also hinted that financial supported would be forthcoming from Ford to help secure a topline driver.