With Ott Tänak’s departure from M-Sport being confirmed, what should the team’s next step be?
What’s Next For M-Sport?
The next step for M-Sport is a bit uncertain right now. As who will be available out of the current Rally1 drivers is unknown. M-Sports’ best current option is to plan to roster a team of inexperienced drivers. It’s likely Pierrr-Louis Loubet will stay with the team, and there’s a 90% chance British Rally Champion Adrien Fourmaux will join him. There’s a chance Esapekka Lappi could rejoin the team, however, how the relationship is between Lappi and M-Sport is unknown. Andreas Mikkelsen might be their best chance of getting an experienced driver in their line-up. Mikkelsen looks like he’s on pace to win the WRC2 championship this season. However, I don’t think M-Sport will push to add an experienced driver besides Sebastien Loeb in a part-time role.
A Young Line-Up
M-Sport could use the 2024 season to give younger drivers a chance to gain valuable Rally1 experience. Much like they did with Fourmaux, Greensmith and others last season. M-Sport doesn’t have the budget to sign a championship contender and develop the car, they proved that this season. Even with backing from Redbull, it’s not enough. Going down the route of developing the next line of Rally1 drivers may be the way for M-Sport. As if you can’t bring in a developed talent why not make your own, or at least try. There are options out there for drivers who could become the next big star for M-Sport. In the past M-Sport has done decently well at developing new drivers, namely Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans.
Who Could Join M-Sport?
As previously mentioned the most likely drivers M-Sport will have are Pierre-Louis Loubet and Adrien Fourmaux. There are also drivers like Yohan Rossel, Nikolay Gryazin, and Grégoire Munster among others who could use a chance in a Rally1 car for a few rallies. There’s also a chance Gus Greensmtih could return to the team for the same reason. All these drivers are on the younger side and have loads of talent. It’s likely if any of them were to get a drive in a Puma next season they’ll have to pay for it. Munster is already getting Rally1 experience this year. Driving at Rally Chile BioBio and the Central European Rally. Although Munster is getting the opportunity through his friend Jourdan Serderidis. Oliver Solberg is noticeably missing from the list of drivers mentioned but why? The answer is simple, it’s due to sponsorship reasons. It’s believed M-Sport will be sponsored by Redbull once again next season. Solberg is sponsored by Monster Energy. Due to this Solberg likely won’t get a drive with M-Sport unless they aren’t sponsored by Redbull.
With Ott Tänak reportedly rejoining Hyundai next season, who should get a part-time drive with the team? Find out below.
Dani Sordo
Dani Sordo has been with Hyundai since they rejoined the WRC in 2014. The only other driver that has been with the team since then is Thierry Neuville. Is this the end of Sordo’s near decade-long run with Hyundai? It’s possible. As Sordo is 40 years old currently. It’s already been confirmed Sordo will be with Hyundai next season, however, it wasn’t specified if that was for a driving role or a different role. Sordo hasn’t had the greatest 2023 season, at least in comparison to 2022. Last season Sordo was pretty much a lock for a third-place finish at any event he competed in. If Sordo wants a part-time drive next season there’s a 99% chance he will get it. It’s not really even a question. The main question here is does Sordo want it? It’s a coin toss if he’ll want another part-time drive.
Esapekka Lappi
Esapekka Lappi is currently a full-time driver for Hyundai. However, with Tänak rejoining the team it forces him into either a part-time role or out of the team. Lappi came to Hyundai for a full-time drive, something he likely thought would continue past this season. Otherwise, he likely wouldn’t have left Toyota last offseason. Lappi has had a decent 2023 season so far. The Fin has finished on the podium 4 times so far this season, including three consecutive podium finishes between the Croatia Rally and Rally Italia Sardegna. Lappi has the talent and the skills to be a full-time driver but with the current state of the WRC, it’s unlikely he gets a full-time drive elsewhere.
He could go back to M-Sport and be the top guy there. Lappi’s options are going to be limited, he could potentially go back to Toyota and drive part-time for them again, but then that would either take away from Takamoto Katsuta or another young driver. Lappi will have a lot of thinking to do in a short period of time.
Teemu Suninen
What a story Teemu Suninen has been this season. Suninen was pushed down to WRC2 last season. After going up and down between WRC1 and WRC2 in 2021. Suninen was given another chance at the sports top level this season. Taking over for the late Craig Breen who passed away during a pre-event test at the Croatia Rally. Suninen has made the most of this opportunity, finishing 5th in Estonia, 4th in Finland and was on pace to finish top 3 in Chile before he crashed out. Suninen will likely get a drive with Hyundai next season once again. As he has shown pace and has learned and gotten used to the car rather quickly. Suninen may be able to win rallies or at least finish on or close to the podium consistently for Hyundai.
A Tough Choice
Hyundai is gonna have a tough choice to make before next season. Especially if all three drivers want a part-time drive with the team. All three drivers have their benefits and reasons they should get the drive. The most likely drivers to get the role will be Suninen and Lappi. Sordo will likely call it quits. However, a lot can change between now and the start of the 2024 season.
Ott Tänak Reportedly Rejoining Hyundai For 2024 Season
Ott Tänak is reportedly rejoining the Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT for the 2024 season. Find out more below.
After One Year
Tänak left Hyundai last offseason after competing with the team since 2020. Tänak’s departure from the team was pretty much known before it was announced. As he and teammate Thierry Neuville didn’t have the best relationship at the time. With the team heavily favoring Neuville, even when Tänak had a strong chance at winning the drivers championship. Tänak had made some comments to the media about the situation and mainly Neuville, although they did not directly mention Neuville. Regardless of the dispute, Tänak and Neuville still reportedly have loads of respect for each other. Tänak moved back to M-Sport after leaving Hyundai and that move hasn’t been the greatest. With the Puma Rally1 encountering many reliability issues throughout the season.
Why Is Tänak Rejoining Hyundai?
It’s no secret Hyundai’s i20 has reliability issues much like M-Sport Puma. However, Tänak is currently the most successful driver in that car. Winning 3 of the 5 events the car has won at. Tänak had a chance at winning last years championship until Hyundai chose to let Neuville win EKO Acropolis Rally Greece over Tänak. For Tänak rejoining Hyundai is almost a no-brainer if you look past the issues with Neuville and such. As joining Hyundai gives Tänak a chance at winning the championship. Sure the car won’t be suited to his driving style, that didn’t stop him last season, however. To be completely honest, being at M-Sport didn’t give Tänak much of a hope of winning the championship. Tänak proved this past weekend at Rally Chile BioBio that the Puma can win, but it takes a lot of luck. It is also worth mentioning the Hyundai Tänak left 18 months ago isn’t the same as it is now.
What This Means For Hyundai
Tänak rejoining the team gives Hyundai two top drivers again. The pairing of Tänak and Neuville worked well. You had two guys who could win rallies. Well, this is good as we have seen it can lead to issues, especially when the two drivers in question are fiercely competitive. Tänak is arguably the second-best driver in the championship currently behind Kalle Rovanperä. However, the gap between the two isn’t small. I mean we are talking about the guy who gave Rovanperä a run for his money last season, although that push by Tänak started just a bit too late. Having two top drivers gives Hyundai a strong chance at winning the manufacturers’ championship, something they did in 2019 and 2020. However, that also relies on Hyundai getting a car that actually works for a full event more than 50% of the time.
What Tänak’s Return Means For Lappi
Esapekka Lappi took over Tänak’s role in Hyundai after Tänak left. Lappi has done decently well this season. Tänak rejoining the team ultimately means Lappi won’t get a full-time drive with the team. That is unless Hyundai is getting the fourth car they are rumored to be getting. However, if they do get that fourth car it’ll likely be used to give a young driver seat time in a Rally1 car. For Lappi, it currently looks as if he will either split the third car with somebody, probably Teemu Suninen or look for another team to join. Lappi should stick with Hyundai if given the chance, however, there is reason to believe he’ll move. Lappi spent last season driving part-time for Toyota. However, he likely won’t rejoin Toyota. I suspect if he were to leave Hyundai he’ll join M-Sport, but why? If Lappi wants a full-time drive next season M-Sport is the place to do it. With M-Sport, Lappi would be the number one driver. Plus the team would be able to build the car around his wants and likes. For M-Sport it also makes sense. As Lappi won’t break the bank while giving them a decently good driver.
Rally Chile BioBio has come to an end. Oliver Solberg held on to take home his second win of the season.
Day One, Solberg Vs. Pajari
The first day of Rally Chile BioBio was a battle between Oliver Solberg and Sami Pajari. Pajari would come out on top by day’s end, taking a 13.3-second lead over Solberg into the second day. For the rest of the class, it wasn’t the greatest day. Nikolay Gryazin ended the day third, 51.4 seconds behind Pajari.
Day Two, Solberg Takes Control
The second day of Rally Chile BioBio wasn’t as good as the first day. Sami Pajari lost his lead to Oliver Solberg on the first stage of the day. This came after Pajari got caught in the dust of a Rally1 car. Pajari was quick to regain the lead, taking it back on the fourth stage of the day. However, Pajari’s lead was short-lived, as Solberg regained the lead just two stages later. Solberg entered the final day of the event with a 25.3-second lead over Gus Greensmtih. Pajari fell to third, 43.9 seconds behind Solberg.
Day Three, Solberg Holds On
The third and final day went rather smoothly for Solberg. Despite attacks by both Greensmith and Pajari, Solberg maintained the lead. Solberg was able to finish the event with a 25.8-second lead over Greensmith. Sami Pajari maintained third. Local driver Jorge Martinez won the Powerstage, Solberg finished second and Greensmith third.
Championship Rundown
Shockingly Andreas Mikkelsen remains in the WRC2 championship lead after Rally Chile BioBio. Mikkelsen now only leads the championship by 4 points, however. With Yohan Rossel remaining second in the championship. Gus Greensmith also remains in the same position of third, now sitting just 5 points behind Rossel. Both Rossel and Greensmith have one round left to compete. Rally winner Oliver Solberg moves up to fourth in the championship. Solberg now sits 8 points behind Greensmith. Solberg’s season is over, however. Sami Pajari dropped to fifth in the championship, now sitting 5 points behind Solberg. Pajari’s season is also over.
Disappointing Event For Rossel, Greensmtih
Yohan Rossel and Gus Greensmith went into Rally Chile BioBio with a chance to take the championship lead. However, neither of them would move into the championship lead. As both drivers had a rough event. Greensmith managed to finish second overall, 25.8 seconds behind Solberg. Despite having a rough first day. Rossel also had a rough first day of the event. Ending the first day 7th in class. However, Rossel pushed back to finish the event 4th, 33.3 seconds behind Pajari. For the two drivers, it’s a disappointing event as their championship hopes are likely over.
Rally Argentina is reportedly close to securing a long-term WRC deal. Find out more about the potential deal below and when it could begin.
Wanting A WRC Return
Rally Argentina has been absent from the WRC calendar since 2019. The event has one of the longest histories in Rally. First joining the WRC in 1980, Rally Argentina was a staple on the WRC calendar up until 2019. The event would only miss 2 seasons in that period, 1995 and 2010. Sebastien Loeb has won Rally Argentina the most times, winning it a total of 8 times throughout his career. Only two active WRC drivers have won the event. Those drivers being Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak.
When Could Rally Argentina Make It’s WRC Return?
Rally Argentina will most likely return on the 2024 or 2025 WRC calendar. The 2024 WRC calendar hasn’t been revealed yet, however, it is believed the calendar is ready to be revealed. It had been previously reported that the calendar would be revealed at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Seeing as this article is being written just under a month after Greece took place, that didn’t happen. There’s a chance the event will appear on the 2024 calendar if everything works out for it. However, it’s more likely it’ll reappear on the 2025 calendar.
Where Would It Run?
The event would be run as one-half of a back-to-back trip to South America. With Rally Chile BioBio being the other half. This was done in 2019, when Rally Argentina ran at the end of April and then Rally Chile ran less than two weeks later in May. This seems like the most logical option for the WRC. As it cuts down on costs to transport the cars over twice.
However, finding the correct time frame for this would take a bit of moving things around. As of now the Croatia Rally and Vodafone Rally De Portugal run at that time. It’s not just as easy as saying push events back either. As events only have limited time to run, some may be able to move back a couple of weeks or months, while others may not be. It is possible one of the events could take place in early March. While the other takes place during the end of March this would allow the WRC to have the events go back to back while also making sure they don’t interfere with other events.
Rally Chile BioBio has come to an end. Ott Tänak took home a dominant win at the event. Winning by just over 40 seconds.
Day One
Day one of Rally Chile BioBio started with 6 special stages totalling 112.86 km. Ott Tänak picked up where he left off in Chile taking the first stage win of the weekend. However, his lead would be short-lived. As Elfyn Evans would take the lead on SS2. Evans maintained the lead until SS4 when Teemu Suninen took the rally lead. While also winning his first stage in a Rally1 car. Suninen only held the lead for one stage before Ott Tänak took it back. Tänak remained the event leader at the end of the first day. Taking a 4.2-second lead over Suninen into day two.
Day Two
The second day of Rally Chile BioBio was the Ott Tänak show. With the Estonian taking all but two stage wins on the day. Kalle Rovanperä was the only other driver to win a stage on the day. Tänak ended the second day with a 58.3-second lead over Suninen. The win was Tänak’s to lose at this point, but Tänak didn’t want to celebrate too early. As he knows better than anyone that a lead, even of that size can disappear in an instant.
Day Three
The third and final day of Rally Chile BioBio was the Thierry Neuville show. With Neuville winning three of the day’s four stages. However, none of that mattered in the end as Tänak held on to take the rally win. Tänak wasn’t pushing at all on the final day as expected. Neuville battled with Teemu Suninen for second place. That was until Suninen crashed out on SS15, handing Neuville second and Toyota the manufacturers championship. Kalle Rovanperä took home the Powerstage win.
Drivers’ Championship Standings
Kalle Rovanperä remains in the drivers’ championship lead as expected. Rovanperä now leads Elfyn Evans by 31 points heading into the Central European Rally later this month. Thierry Neuville also remains in his position, staying in third now 31 points behind Evans. Neuville’s championship hunt is officially over. Ott Tänak stayed in fourth despite taking the event win. However, the gap between him and Neuville has shrunk to just 9 points. It’s possible for Tänak to move into a top-three position by the season’s end. Sebastien Ogier stays in fifth, now 47 points behind Tänak. Esapekka Lappi still sits on the edge of a top-five position, just one point behind Ogier.
Tänak Shines
Ott Tänak has had a rough 2023 season. With the Estonian only having one win before Rally Chile BioBio. It doesn’t help matters that the Puma Rally1 has been extremely unreliable. Tänak has had strong performances, but every time he does it seems that the car gives out. It’s been an unfortunate year for the 2019 championship. As Tänak has proven that he is still one of the best drivers in the championship. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come for Tänak but unfortunately, it seems to have come too late. As Tänak’s championship hopes have been over for a while. Hopefully, Tänak can start building himself up for next season, whether or not that’s with M-Sport is a different story.
Suninen Shines
Teemu Suninen may have retired on the penultimate stage of Rally Chile BioBio, but that doesn’t take away from his performance. There aren’t many drivers who can say they beat Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans on multiple stages during an event. Especially with just three events worth of experience in a car. Suninen was the second-best driver this weekend behind Tänak. It may have had something to do with road position on the opening day, or it could be a showing sign that Suninen can compete with the big guys.
Lappi and Loubet Roll Out
Esapekka Lappi was set to move into the top five of the drivers’ championship. However, that all came crashing down on the first stage of Rally Chile BioBio. As the Fin would go too tight into a corner and hit something that caused his car to roll. Lappi and his co-driver were okay after the crash that left his i20 with half of a rear end. Just two stages later Pierre-Louis Loubet would suffer the same fate as Lappi. Loubet looked like he was going to have his best event of the season. Unfortunately, he just couldn’t keep it up and rolled out of the event. Loubet also tore half of his rear end off in the crash.
Rally Chile BioBio Links
How Tires Changed Rally Chile BioBio
Day One Recap: WRC1
Day Two Recap: WRC1
Day Three Recap: WRC1
Suninen Crashes Out Of Rally Chile BioBio
Roope Korhonen has won the 2023 WRC3 championship after Diego Dominquez retired from Rally Chile BioBio.
WRC3 Champions
Roope Korhonen takes home his first WRC3 championship this season. Korhonen has won every event he’s competed in WRC3 this season. WRC3 drivers are allowed to elect 5 rounds to score points in, Korhonen has only competed in 4 events, however, that doesn’t seem to make a difference as only 4 events are counted. Diego Dominquez has competed in all 5 of his rounds as of the end of Rally Chile BioBio. The championship race would’ve continued if Domiquez hadn’t suffered a mechanical issue on the opening stage of the final day. All Dominquez had to do was finish the event to guarantee a top-two finish at the event. As only two drivers were competing in the class. However, all Korhonen would’ve had to do from that point was score 5 or so points to win the championship anyway.
Eyes On WRC2
Roope Korhonen has already made it known he has his eyes set on WRC2. It’s likely that Korhonen will compete in the Central European Rally in the WRC2 class later this month. Korhonen did compete at his home event of Secto Rally Finland in a WRC2 car, he finished 19th in the WRC2 class. What’s next for Diego Dominguez is unknown at this point, but, it’s likely, that he’ll also look to move into the WRC2 class. Whether or not Korhonen will compete in his fifth WRC3 event is unknown, however, it doesn’t sound like he’ll have to.
Disappointing End For Domiquez
Diego Dominguez had a disappointing end to his season. Dominguez was a strong driver and one of the favourites to win the WRC Junior Championship and the WRC3 championship. However, due to a mechanical issue, he lost the WRC3 championship. It’s a disappointing end to the season for one of the better up-and-coming drivers in the WRC.
The fourth and final day of Rally Chile BioBio has come to an end. Oliver Solberg held on to take the WRC2 class win.
SS13, Las Pataguas 1
Gus Greensmith opened up the final day of Rally Chile BioBio with a stage win. With Greensmith setting a time 2.5 seconds faster than Emil Lindholm to win the stage. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Lindholm. Oliver Solberg posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Rossel. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.4 seconds slower than Solberg.
SS14, El Poñen 1
Class leader Oliver Solberg took the stage win on SS14. Posting a time 0.3 seconds faster than Sami Pajari to win the stage. Gus Greensmith finished third fastest on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Pajari. Nikolay Gryazin set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.6 seconds slower than Greensmith. Yohan Rossel rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.4 seconds slower than Gryazin.
SS15, Las Pataguas 2
Nikolay Gryazin took the stage win on the 15th stage of Rally Chile BioBio. Gryazin would set a time 4 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith to win the stage. Oliver Solberg finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Greensmith. Bruno Bulicia posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Solberg. Yohan Rossel rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.8 seconds slower than Bulicia.
SS16, El Poñen 2, Powerstage
Jorge Martinez took his first stage win of the event on the final stage of Rally Chile BioBio. Martinez would set a time 1.3 seconds faster than Oliver Solberg to win the stage. Gus Greensmtih finished third fastest on the stage, 3 seconds slower than Solberg. Bruno Bulicia posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Greensmith. Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top five on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Bulicia.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team has won the 2023 Manufacturers championship. Find out more below.
Back To Back To Back Champions
The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally team have won their third consecutive Manufacturers championship. The Japanese manufacturer has won the championship since 2021. Taking home the championship this weekend looked like a long shot after Rovanperä and Evans struggled on the third day due to tires. However, that didn’t seem to matter. Rovanperä and Evans managed to finish third and fourth overall. Both drivers were promoted to these positions after Teemu Suninen crashed out on SS15.
Toyota’s 2023 Season
Toyota hasn’t had as dominant of a season as the 2022 season. As Kalle Rovanperä has only won 3 events this season. However, the story this year has seemed to be on Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans. As Ogier has also taken 3 wins this season, but has only driven 6 events so far this season. Elfyn Evans took 2 wins so far this season, including at Secto Rally Finland. Toyota has only lost three events so far this season, making the manufacturers’ championship victory easier. The team started the year where they left off with a win in Rallye Monte-Carlo. Sebastien Ogier won the event to becoming the winningest driver at the event. Kalle Rovanperä didn’t take his first win of the season until Vodafone Rally De Portugal. Evans won the Croatia Rally, while Ogier won Rally Mexico. Ogier also won Safari Rally Kenya which Toyota took home a podium sweep at. Rovanperä was back to his winning ways in Estonia, Evans won Secto Rally Finland and Rovanperä won Rally Greece.
Making History
Toyota moves one step closer to becoming the manufacturer with the second most manufacturer championships in WRC history. The team currently sits just one manufacturer win behind Citroen for the second most. They sit 3 behind Lanica for the most. Since rejoining the WRC in 2016 Toyota has won 4 manufacturers championships. The Japanese team has been nearly unstoppable for the past 5 or so seasons. As they have been able to hire some of the top drivers in the sport, from Ott Tänak to Kalle Rovanperä, the team hasn’t had a lack of talent in their lineup.
The fourth and final day of Rally Chile BioBio has come to an end. Ott Tänak held on to take the rally win.
SS13, Las Pataguas 1
Thierry Neuville started the final day of Rally Chile BioBio with a stage win. Posting a time 4.8 seconds faster than Teemu Suninen to win the stage. Elfyn Evans finished with the third fastest on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Suninen. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 5.8 seconds slower than Evans. Kalle Rovanperä rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS14, El Poñen 1
Thierry Neuville also took the stage win on SS14. With Neuville setting a time 2.4 seconds faster than Teemu Suninen to take his second consecutive stage win. Ott Tänak finished with the third fastest on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Suninen. Elfyn Evans posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.0 seconds slower than Tänak. Kalle Rovanperä once again rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3 seconds slower than Evans.
SS15, Las Pataguas 2
Thierry Neuville also took the stage win on the 15th stage of Rally Chile BioBio. With Neuville posting a time 6.7 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take his third consecutive stage win. Takamoto Katsuta finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 3.5 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.4 seconds slower than Katsuta. Kalle Rovanperä once again rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 11.5 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS16, El Poñen 2, Powerstage
Kalle Rovanperä took home the stage win on the final stage of Rally Chile BioBio. Rovanperä would set a time 3 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to win the stage. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 2.6 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.4 seconds slower than Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.6 seconds slower than Tänak.