Ott Tänak, who secured a maiden drivers’ title in Spain on Sunday afternoon, will leave the Japanese manufacturer at the end of the season to join Hyundai Motorsport in a two-year deal, it was announced on Thursday evening.
The reactions…
Ott Tänak
“I am really excited to join Hyundai Motorsport from the 2020 WRC season. The vision that Andrea has set out is very promising and matches my own ambitions for the future. It’s a big honour for me to have the opportunity to join the team at this exciting stage of our respective careers. I have big respect for what Hyundai has accomplished; we’ve been fighting closely against each other for a number of seasons. They have always had a competitive team and car, so now it will be interesting to see things from the other side. The driver line-up is good and I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together over the coming years.”
Andrea Adamo
“Signing a two-year deal with Ott Tänak is a demonstration of Hyundai’s continued commitment and ambitions in the World Rally Championship. We are involved in a very close fight for the title this season, and bringing Ott and Martin into the team from 2020 will enable us to continue to be at the forefront for the coming years. He is an exceptional talent, as we have all seen, impressively quick and consistent on all terrains and he will be a real asset to Hyundai Motorsport. With his announcement, we have four crews confirmed for the 2020 season; Thierry and Ott will contest all 14 rounds on the calendar in their own Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, with Dani and Sébastien sharing a third car. It is a potent and inspiring crew line-up, which will set a high benchmark to which the entire team will aspire. We also remain in conversation with Andreas and Craig to see how we might be able to collaborate in WRC next season.”
Thanks for the memories! We've had two great years with @otttanak and Martin Järveoja and some amazing achievements together. We wish them both the best of luck for the future, and look forward to fighting for one more title together in Australia! pic.twitter.com/Lni4VbwOCZ
— Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT (@TGR_WRC) October 31, 2019
Welcome in the team @OttTanak ! Really happy to have you on our side in the @hmsgofficial team! 💪🏼💪🏼 #HyundaiPower #WRC #HMSGOfficial pic.twitter.com/2v3SZuSWCO
— Thierry Neuville (@thierryneuville) October 31, 2019