Hyundai rethinks preparation plan

After a lacklustre start to the 2022 campaign, deputy team director Julien Moncet says his team must maintain its focus on the WRC rather than contest lower-level events to test its hybrid-powered i20 N Rally1.

Former team principal Andrea Adamo pushed a policy of competing on non-WRC rounds in an effort to help development for the Alzenau-based outfit, but Moncet has put that plan on ice for the time being.

Instead, Hyundai will focus on refining the car at its new permanent test site in Finland as well as its systems check base in Germany.

“We have to focus on the core of what we are doing right now,” he said.

“I don’t say that we won’t do this again, but I don’t see us doing it any time soon. We have to make the base of the car work, we have to make sure everything is optimised and we have all the spare parts we need.

“We suffered from reliability issues in Monte-Carlo and now we have to prioritise that. The testing we did ahead of Sweden has been quite promising.”

Hyundai is looking to bounce back at next week’s Rally Sweden (24 27 February) following a difficult start to the season at Rallye Monte-Carlo, in which Thierry Neuville was the only factory car to make it to the finish. The Belgian came home in sixth.