Tänak is back with Hyundai Motorsport this season having spent last year driving for British-based M-Sport Ford. The Korean manufacturer squad’s i20 N Rally1 has undergone a host of technical upgrades since Tänak previously drove for the team in 2022.
Co-driven by Martin Järveoja, Tänak finished a respectable fourth overall at the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo. Despite challenges, like sliding into an icy ditch and a mysterious throttle issue, Tänak sees the car's competitiveness.
“I would say the car is definitely not bad,” he commented after round one, which was won by team-mate Thierry Neuville. “Obviously it’s very competitive and it has some very strong points. Some things, let’s say, I didn’t know before coming to [Monte-Carlo], and obviously there was a lot more Tarmac here than we had in the test beforehand.