Ott Tänak happy with Hyundai car after first test

Estonian rally driving star Ott Tänak, who will be back behind the wheel of a Hyundai next season, was able to test out the car on the roads in France at the weekend. After the first round of testing, Tänak said he was pleased with the vehicle.
Tänak, who won the WRC title in 2019, joined the M-Sport Ford team last season. However, in October it was revealed that the Estonian's partnership with Ford would only be for one year and that he would be returning to Hyundai, who he also represented from 2020 – 2022.
Over the weekend, the Estonian was in France to test out the Hyundai car. "It was a tough test on Dakar-like roads. We wanted to see how reliable the car was and we actually covered quite a lot of kilometers. I'm pretty happy. The conditions were the same at the Safari Rally, it was tough," Tänak told motorsport.com.
The Estonian added that Hyundai has done a lot of work, however, the current car is not so different from the one he drove for the team during his previous spell. "From the outside the aero looks very different. Some things are in better shape and work better. I wouldn't say it's very different from what we had before, but it's definitely better tuned," said Tänak. "You could say that I felt good in the car on the first run and was able to go fast straight away."
According to motorsport.com, Tänak is likely to do one more test before the start of next season, with the Estonian relaxed about the upcoming campaign. "The people in the team are very smart and know what needs to be done to make things better. If you know what needs to be developed, there are no limits in front. These people know that, but it takes a little time to get there," Tänak said.
Tänak will race alongside Belgian driver Thierry Neuville at Hyundai next season. The teams' third car will be shared by Spain's Dani Sordo, Finland's Esapekka Lappi and Norway's Andreas Mikkelsen next season.
The 2024 World Rally Championship season kicks off at the end of January in Monte Carlo.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Michael Cole