Ott Tänak has told DirtFish how much he will miss Hyundai Motorsport team principal Andrea Adamo following the Italian’s decision to step down from the position on Tuesday.
It was Adamo who brought Tänak to the Alzenau-based squad as a defending world champion for the 2020 season. Despite frustrations with the i20 Coupe WRC this season, Tänak has paid tribute to the work Adamo did and the personal touch he brought to the team.
“He’s always been quite impressive in his job,” Tänak said. “There was a lot of stress and a lot of situations going on, but you would never know.
“He took all of the pressure from us and he was always able to show [to the outside world] that everything was controlled – he did a perfect job even when he was taking a lot of s***.
“There’s plenty of character in Andrea Adamo – even a bit more than a normal Italian! He always brought a lot of emotions and I’ll miss him. Maybe now he does have a good chance with Jenifer [Anniston]. He’s always talked about her and maybe she’s seen him on TV and she can see the emotion there.”
Hyundai Motorsport’s president Scott Noh will take over from Adamo in the short-term, but Tänak says Adamo has left big shoes to fill.
“He worked so hard and gave everything for the team. I will never forget his response for me in Monza.
“He understood how much I needed to be with my family and how important it was for me to skip the last round and he allowed me to do that – I’m not sure there are too many people who would have done that.
“Andrea is my friend and that doesn’t change. We are talking, like normal, every day. The friendship doesn’t disappear and I have no doubt that whatever he does next he will give it 110% and the full push.”
