Hyundai Motorsport announced this Thursday the signing of two new multi-year contract deals with its full-time drivers in the World Rally Championship, Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville.

Both teammates will therefore remain in the South Korean team from next year, although the extension of the new agreements is still unknown. 

This deal secures the permanence of the Belgian and Estonian drivers in Hyundai for the upcoming season, an important safeguard for the team from Alzenau. Tänak and Neuville will thus constitute Hyundai’s backbone in the hybrid era of the speciality, which is due to start in 2022. 

The upcoming hybrid revolution is expected to turn the sport upside down as new technical regulations come into place which aim to create a more environmentally friendly and sustainable competition. The protagonist of this revolution will be the new Rally 1 vehicle, solely powered by synthetic fuels. 

This agreement reinforces the determination of the South Korean team to be part of the World Rally Championship in the coming years. In fact, they have publicly announced plans to start testing in the “near future” with the new prototype, which is based on the Hyundai i20 N road vehicle. 

Thierry Neuville: A key piece in Hyundai’s success

Since his arrival for Rally Germany in 2014, Thierry Neuville driver has been an essential asset for the Asian squad and a key part of the teams’ WRC resurgence and its subsequent sporting success.

His crucial contribution in the conquest of the Constructors’ World Championships of 2019 and 2020 has been highly valued by the team. There is no doubt that Hyundai largely owes its recent growth to the driver from Saint Vith.

At an individual level, Thierry Neuville has been runner-up with Hyundai four times consecutively between 2016 and 2019. 

During the current season only, he has taken three consecutive podiums for Andrea Adamos’ team, which are paramount to the objectives of the squad as a whole. 

Tänak: Very pleased with his commitment to Hyundai  

Tänak, for his part, joined Hyundai in 2020 to defend the World Rally Champion title he achieved in the previous year with Toyota. That season he sealed his first victory with the i20 Coupé WRC in his home rally.

His successes have continued into this season, where he won the Arctic Rally Finland at the beginning of the year. 

Team director, Andrea Adamo, in the same celebratory tone, has also expressed his satisfaction with the agreement, which will allow him to continue the good work with his two trustworthy stars. 

Images of Thierry Neuville: Hyundai Motorsport.