Hyundai Motorsport had a very difficult Monte Carlo Rally. The team struggled to get its three Hyundai i20 N Rally1s into competition in the days leading up to the rally, and once testing began, it suffered from various reliability issues in the debut of its hybrid car. The Belgian Thierry Neuville was the only member of the structure that could complete the ‘Monte’ in a discreet sixth position eight minutes from the lead, as even Neuville struggled in the car. Neither Ott Tänak nor Oliver Solberg could finish the test.
Ott Tänak had to retire after suffering an accident on the third day of competition, although until then it had already accused different mechanical problems. For his part, Oliver Solberg retired on the last stage of the rally for medical reasons after competing throughout the ‘Monte’ inhaling the gases from the car in the passenger compartment due to a breakdown. For this reason, Thierry Neuville has urged the Hyundai Motorsport team to react quickly after a disappointing and gray start to the season.
In fact, Thierry Neuville has been very clear about it: «We know there is a lot of work to do. At Hyundai we have to react quickly to what we have seen in Monte Carlo.. It is not an easy situation. The team has prepared a lot, worked hard and tried their best, but the result was frustrating and disappointing. I know how motivated everyone is, both in the team and in the factory. Let’s keep pushing and striving».
«Everyone’s will to do well is there. In the Montecarlo we saw that there are areas where the car is strong, but we have to start by working on reliability. I’m not going to talk about specific areas, but we all know that we have to be stronger in the next tests and avoid the breakdowns we have had» has added a Thierry Neuville who had to face much of Saturday’s stage of the Monte Carlo Rally with a suspension problem that ended with the shock absorber going through the bonnet of his Hyundai i20 N.