That Tänak may have been on the move to Hyundai had been the subject of much media speculation in the preceding weeks, with the Estonian and his new boss barely making a secret of the done deal towards the end.

"[Ott] is an extraordinary talent, we have all seen it," said Adamo of the signing, ERR's sports portal reports, quoting British weekly Autosport.

"He is impressively fast on every surface and is thus a true treasure for Hyundai," he continued.

Tänak joins Belgian Thierry Neuville, himself still after his first WRC title, with Adamo confirming that existing drivers Dani Sordo (Spain) and veteran Sebastien Loeb (France) are to share drives, with Andreas Mikkelson (Norway) and Craig Breen (Ireland) also likely to get starts for the team again.

Tänak's Estonian co-driver Martin Järveoja will be joining him at Hyundai.

There is still some unfinished business with the 2019 season; Hyundai leads the manufacturers' table, by 18 points over Toyota, who Tänak won his title with. There is one race left, in mid-November in Australia.

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