As soon as he spotted DirtFish duo Colin Clark and David Evans ushering him for an interview in the Rally of Portugal media zone, Cyril Abiteboul knew what was coming.
“I have an idea,” he said.
“I’ll do the questions you do the answers! What are you going to do, team orders or not?”
Clark interrupted: “I’ll tell you exactly what I’m going to do,” taking on the role of the Hyundai team principal as requested by the Hyundai team principal himself.
“Tell me,” said Abiteboul.
“I am going to do what you are going to do,” said Clark, “which is put, clearly, Thierry Neuville into second place. You’re going to ask [Esapekka] Lappi into third place and Dani Sordo… unfortunately he’ll get his bonus for the podium but he’ll be in fourth place.
“That is the right thing to do.”
Two days into the fifth round of this year’s World Rally Championship, Kalle Rovanperä has made a run for it.
A truly dominant day in which he turned a 10.8-second lead into a 57.5s advantage means the world champion can reach for cruise control on Sunday. Save for the powerstage, of course.
But Hyundai’s three cars have all been glued in an entertaining scrap behind. At one stage just 5.5s covered Sordo, Lappi and Neuville.
However a strong afternoon from Sordo has allowed him to stretch 11.1s clear of Neuville who passed Lappi to sit 2.3s ahead of his other team-mate.
Two cars on the podium, and a result that would slim its deficit to Toyota in the manufacturers championship, sounds pretty sweet. But the rub is Hyundai has set itself a very clear strategy, and making that work in Portugal could be messy.
We all remember what happened in Sweden. It couldn’t have been made any clearer that Neuville is the team’s number one priority, and where it can, it will do everything necessary to boost his points haul for the drivers championship – without of course jeopardizing manufacturer points.
In that regard, the tactic has to be to promote Neuville to second. He knows that too, even if he had his poker face on in the media zone.
“We won’t take any decision, it will be up to the principal and the manufacturer to make any decision if there will be some,” Neuville told DirtFish.
Pressed that ensuring he finishes second is clearly the right thing to do, Neuville caved a little.
“It’s probably the right thing to do,” he admitted, “but again we all want always to fight ’til the end – that’s for sure.
“Now let’s go to service and find out what’s the plan.”
Abiteboul knows what that plan is. As does Neuville, even if he won’t say it in public.
But, in an open and honest response, Abiteboul revealed he finds it difficult to ask any of his drivers to sacrifice their result for a team-mate.
“What’s making the decision obvious is that the decision is our strategy,” he said.
“We’ve been very clear since day one this year about our strategy, what we are for.
“The project this year, in particular after what happened in recent weeks, we are a bit on the back foot for the manufacturer objective, so clearly the drivers championship for Thierry, that championship he is yet to clinch and we believe he deserves, I think you know it’s clear.
“What I don’t like is the execution of it.
I don't know if I think but I care and I feel.Cyril Abiteboul
“Frankly, first of all, making the execution right, let’s remember Sweden – and by the way Sweden is very bitter for me because you may remember who it involved, also.
“So I have that in the deep of my gut, so I’m thinking to myself what is right to do?
“Obviously I am here to support a project around Thierry, but equally Dani has been fantastic this weekend.
“We all know that Dani is equally a very loyal servant to the team, so I will like also to see him on the podium. And Esapekka also in his first year with us, he is also doing a mega job.
“So when I say all of that, what do I do? What would you do?”
When Clark suggested to Abiteboul that this is clearly a decision that is weighing heavily on his shoulders because he’s not a ruthless character and one who thinks deeply instead, Abiteboul responded: “I don’t know if I think but I care and I feel.
“So that’s, you know, finding a way to do it [is difficult], but I hope and I believe we’ve got drivers who are not only professional enough but also loyal enough to the team in that they know what the team is about that they will know how to handle it without instruction.”
That would be the ideal scenario – Hyundai gets the result that fits with its strategy, but Abiteboul doesn’t have to be the one that makes any firm call or intervention.
The trouble is, if Neuville does indeed finish second as expected, trying to orchestrate whether it’s Sordo or Lappi who finishes on the podium is challenging to say the least.
By rights that place should be Sordo’s. He’s 13.4s up the road from the Finn. But equally, Lappi is a full-time driver and therefore has his own drivers’ championship to think about. Sordo has no such campaign as just a part-time player.
I don't want to say because I know exactly what's going to happenEsapekka Lappi
Lappi told DirtFish: “I guess every one of us, if you are not the boss yourself, you need to listen to your boss and let’s have a chat and let’s hear what they want to say, and then I listen.”
Pushed on what he expected Hyundai to tell him, Lappi added: “I don’t want to say because I know exactly what’s going to happen! I don’t want to say no, I don’t want to comment.”
Sordo was more relaxed.
“They didn’t ask nothing at the moment, so I just keep pushing and need to keep enjoying the rally, and let’s see after.”
