Hyundai Motorsport team principal Andrea Adamo has admitted that his emotions have taken control of him after his team narrowly edged Toyota to retain its manufacturers’ title.
The Korean manufacturer pipped its Japanese rival to the championship by five points when its drivers Ott Tänak and Dani Sordo completed the Monza Rally podium behind Toyota’s drivers’ title-clinching Sébastien Ogier.
Although the top two places in the drivers’ championship were occupied by Toyota drivers, Hyundai was able to take the manufacturers’ honors with 11 podiums from five different drivers across this season’s seven rallies.
“When you win a world title, it’s always a special moment. My people have done an amazing job. I permit myself to be proud of my people,” Adamo told DirtFish.
“The emotion really here takes control of me, even now if I speak I have difficulties. Maybe I just have to close myself in my hotel room, cry [for] 10 minutes and put everything out because I’m an emotional kind of person and I have so many emotions that are moving around in my head.”
Since taking over from Michel Nandan in January 2019, Adamo has displayed a unique “energy-consuming” leadership style that he explained to DirtFish after his team clinched their second successive manufacturers’ crown.
“I thought as the responsible [team principal] should do more than others, because I thought that basically in these difficult situations, people need someone who leads them,” Adamo said.
“The pressure was high, and I always had to have answers, immediate answer, clear directions, even if I am not. This is quite energy-consuming.”
