Tue 04 Feb 2025

Abiteboul confident of Sweden fightback after tough Monte

Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul has admitted Rallye Monte-Carlo result came as a disappointment following his squad’s stellar start to the season 12 months ago.

While the Frenchman admitted there were positives – including the pace of his countryman and Hyundai WRC rookie Adrien Fourmaux, who finished third on his world championship debut aboard an i20 N Rally1 – the 2025 season opener didn’t deliver the score he was hoping for.

Defending world champion Thierry Neuville struggled to find his winning form from last year and finished a distant sixth, while Ott Tänak dominated Saturday’s stages, but slipped to fifth on Sunday.

Abiteboul said: “After a win here last year a third-place finish comes somewhat as a disappointment, but there are plenty of positives to be taken from this weekend. The first one is Adrien's result in his first weekend with the team, and I am sure we will see a lot more this year as he gets fully familiar with the car and the team.

“Another positive is that our drivers managed to take the right approach to the challenges they were facing, which will be the key to this long and unpredictable championship. Finally, the car overall has been competitive across the course of the weekend.”

Abiteboul pointed to changes coming to the i20 next time out in Sweden as another reason for optimism. He added: “With the evolutions to come in Sweden and interesting road positions we are all really looking forward to the next round.”

Sweden
Starts: Thursday, February 13, 2025 at 8:00:00 AM
Spain
Starts: Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 7:00:00 AM
Turkey
Starts: Sunday, November 10, 2024 at 8:30:00 AM