On Sunday morning in Japan, Hyundai looked nailed on to secure both World Rally Championship titles. Then Ott Tänak crashed.
The destiny of the drivers’ championship was decided in his team-mate Thierry Neuville’s favor, and the door was opened for Toyota to steal the manufacturers’ crown from its rival’s grasp.
But it wasn’t done yet. Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen could still seal the deal for Hyundai even if it was a tough ask to overhaul what was now (provisionally) a four-point deficit.
A small mistake for Mikkelsen on the powerstage meant he wouldn’t be beating the Toyotas to the bonus points it offered and so it was the Japanese manufacturer that clinched the title by just three points.
Ultimately, Sébastien Ogier’s stage-winning pace through that final test meant that Mikkelsen’s brief moment was probably academic anyway. But could the Norwegian have done more to help Hyundai win the makes’ title? Not just in Japan but throughout his five-round 2024 program?
Mikkelsen's first season in a top-class car this decade didn't go as planned
Considering Japan first, Mikkelsen had already crashed on Friday, putting pressure on his senior team-mates to bring their cars home. He could now only help on Super Sunday and the powerstage.
Going fastest on Sunday’s opening stage was a very good start. Mikkelsen and Neuville continued to top Sunday’s times going into the final stage. Even Mikkelsen’s mistake on that only dropped him behind Neuville, and so the team secured a Super Sunday maximum of 13 points.
“I think we can be proud,” Mikkelsen told DirtFish. “In the powerstage I pushed to the maximum. We were actually fastest on the first splits, but then I went off, hit some trees, kept it flat, jumped back on the road.
“I was just too quick in that corner. Just pushing too hard. It was a bit more slippery than I anticipated. It was a bit downhill and negative camber as well, so all these things, they added up. Then I just lost the front a little bit and we went in the ditch a little bit and over a tree.”
He added: “This rally has had a lot of emotions up and down – for all teams, I can imagine.
“Really sad to see that manufacturer title slip away. I think the boys and girls at the factory, they’ve worked so hard this season, so it’s really sad we cannot bring the title home.
“But that’s how it is in sports. I’m sure Toyota has worked extremely hard as well, so they also deserve it. So we just have to regroup for next year.”
A mistake on the powerstage in Japan didn't help Hyundai's manufacturers' effort
Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul had no qualms about Mikkelsen’s performance on Japan’s asphalt stages.
“I want to say also that Andreas really delivered today,” he said. “He was putting on a strong push and even if he had not made that small mistake in the powerstage, Séb’s pace would have killed any hope.
“So it’s clearly not one that we are thinking to blame in any way. And again, for me, it doesn’t just summarize itself to a powerstage.”
If, as expected, Mikkelsen does not retain his role with Hyundai next year, his performance on Rally Japan will not have been his downfall. Over the season, Mikkelsen contributed only 36 points of Hyundai’s manufacturers’ of 558 – that’s just 6.5%.
Even when combined with Dani Sordo’s and Esapekka Lappi’s contributions, Hyundai’s third car scored only 18.3% of the team’s total. It would be fair to say that that is where the manufacturers’ title was lost for the Korean marque.
Eyebrows were raised when Hyundai referred to Mikkelsen as the team’s asphalt specialist for the season. He readily admits it’s not his favorite surface. But his program included all four Tarmac-based rallies, plus Rally Poland – an event he has won in the past.
Mikkelsen never finished better than sixth overall, although he was set for a podium – at least – without a puncture on the final day in Poland.
Poland was the high point of Mikkelsen's season - his only start not on Tarmac
“It was nice to do Poland,” the 35-year-old reflected. “We were fighting for the win with Kalle [Rovanperä], so I think that proves that we still have some speed in this old body.
“It was also nice to try and push a bit today [in Japan] and see that we can also set fastest stage times on Tarmac. But of course, earlier in the season was not great with Monte Carlo and Croatia.
“But you know, coming into the season, one test day before Monte Carlo is not easy. Long break before Croatia, one day of tests. And then, yeah, we had Rally Poland, which gave me some confidence on gravel, and then we went to Central Europe, where we were quite fast.
“So it took time to get into it. I knew it was going to be a big challenge to only do Tarmac. OK, at least I got Poland, but with so little time in the car to do Tarmac, it’s tricky. When you do gravel, it’s much easier, because everything happens slower. But Tarmac, you really have to know your car and the limits and you really have to fit on like a glove, you know?”
Abiteboul has previously admitted the rotational policy for the team’s third car is under review. He has little concern over Mikkelsen’s speed and admits that the team shares some responsibility for his lack of results.
“In this event [Japan], once again, he’s shown some pace,” Abiteboul told DirtFish. “On Friday he was quick. He was under the instruction, or the plan, to be quick and to push. So no bad feeling about what happened, even if obviously we knew that this place was tricky.
“We’ve got a phenomenal weather crew, tons of pictures, so it’s not like he was not informed. It’s not like, for instance, Ott’s section, where we could not send our guys. Where Andreas crashed on Friday, we knew it was tricky, so that’s something we probably need to improve.
“Maybe sometimes we are sending too many information and not the right one, but anyway, he had the information. So there’s a bit of frustration here because there’s been a couple of moments like that in the course of the season. I think Poland was like that, Central Europe was like that.
“It’s no question he can be quick, no question. It’s about how… I mean his ability to be quick and at the same time being able to bring it home. That’s obviously always a key question.”
The feeling is that Rally Japan may have been Mikkelsen’s last outing in a Rally1 car – at least for the time being. But there’s no doubt the role he was given this year made it tough for him to shine, and there could still be a future for him at Hyundai.
“First thing that I want is to make a bit of an assessment of the season,” Abiteboul concluded. “What we’ve done right and wrong, and in particular with our plan on the third car, the whole thing of having part-time or not part-time [drivers], something we need to draw a line on that for next year.
“As to the future for Andreas, first he has a future in WRC in general; and I want to believe that there is maybe down the path also some future collaboration between us, once we have all of that, the dust has settled, we’ve made some decisions.
“But yeah, I think here there is something to build together. I don’t know what yet, because first we need to make a decision. But I wouldn’t be surprised if you see him again in some shape or form with a blue T-shirt in the future.”
Additional reporting by David Evans.
