Hyundai Motorsport president Cyril Abiteboul believes Toyota’s World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title is “justice” and a “fair representation” of the two teams’ respective performance levels.
Hyundai had led the manufacturers’ championship for most of the season, carrying a 15-point advantage into last week’s season finale at Rally Japan.
But it failed to convert that into a championship title, with Ott Tänak’s accident on Sunday morning squandering its lead that was eventually lost in a thrilling powerstage shootout which the two teams net level on points.
Hyundai did however win the drivers’ championship for the first time, with Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe beating Toyota’s Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin by 32 points.
“I’ve mixed emotions,” Abiteboul told DirtFish, “but frankly the one that needs to prevail is really an emotion of huge satisfaction and relief for Thierry and Martijn, who both secured an amazing milestone in their career.
“They’ve been fighting so hard, working so hard for so many years for that moment – to get to the top of a sport is something special and that must be absolutely 100% celebrated because it’s absolutely, totally deserved.
“I think there is absolutely no question that they had an amazing season this year, taking the command of the championship from the first rally in Monte Carlo and never, never surrendering it. So I think it does say something, there’s no question about that.
“Obviously when you get very close to something, that something being a manufacturer title and in the last stage you miss it out by a little, it’s always a bit of frustration.
“But frankly, that’s fine. I think there is justice. I would not call this result anything other than a fair representation of the current reality. And I think that Toyota is still at the top of the sport as a manufacturer.
“And that’s OK, that’s OK, because actually, I think we are much closer than what we were last year. And the fact that we finished at the last moment is a good representation of that.
“And it’s also a good motivation for making other steps into next year. So, no hard feelings. Huge relief and satisfaction and gratitude to Thierry and Martijn for offering what they offered in the course of the season, and willing to come back next year for more.”
Abiteboul has "no hard feelings" about Hyundai's defeat, and in fact sees it as motivation for 2025
If Tänak hadn’t gone off, Hyundai could very well have been toasting a world title double.
But Abiteboul isn’t interested in any such contemplation; instead pointing to the Sunday disasters that have befallen Toyota and let Hyundai off the hook.
“Ifs and what if and so on and so forth, you know, lots of things could be changed,” Abiteboul said.
“What if Kalle had not crashed in Finland? Or Ogier in the last three rallies? Frankly, Toyota offered us a lot of points this year, so we give them that a little bit this morning, and also with Andreas and so many others.
“So I think we should… I’m not the type of person to retain the last element too easily, and what with Andreas’ little off from the powerstage.
“No, a season, a race season is so much more complex than that.”
Over the spread of the season, Toyota won eight events to Hyundai’s five and 19 podiums to Hyundai’s 15.
Additional reporting by David Evans.
