In an official communication, ꦗthe Alzenau-based squad said it “respects the drivers’ request” to exercise the option that allows him to conclude his contract prematurely.

Last May, Tanak put pen to paper on a new “multi-year” deal but, in recent months, the Estonian has appeared at odds with team-mate Thierry Neuville and Deputy Team Director Julien Moncet who label♊led the decision “disappointing”.

Since joining Hyundai from Toyota Gazoo Racing at the end of 2019, Tanak has chal😼ked up five wins, 15 podiums and 101 stage wins.

Speaking earlier this afternoon a𒁏t the Rally Spain post-event press conference, Neuvi♚lle said he would prefer Tanak to stay because he brings out the best in him. However, the Belgian is not going to get his wish.

“I would like to announce that I have decided to end our contractual agreement with Hyundai Motorsport and leave the team at the end of the current WRC season,” said Tanak, whose final appearance in a𒅌n I20 N Rally1 car will come on next month’s Rally Japan.

“This is a personal decision and one th𒀰at I have taken with careful consideration and respect for the team. However, I feel that I am at a stage of my career where I need to embark on a new chal⛄lenge.

“We have h🤪ad a good partnership over the past three se♕asons, and I am proud of what we have achieved. We have worked hard together to overcome some difficult moments, and as we’ve shown this year we have moved in the right direction.

“The second part of this season has shown the pꦍerformance level we can achieve when things click, but for me the time has come for something new. I thank the team for its understa💃nding and wish them all well,” he added.

Tanak is the second driver to leave Hyundai following the team’s recent decision not to extend the contract of Ol🍸ive⛦r Solberg. Question marks also surround the future of World Rally Championship veteran Dani Sordo who has played even less of a role this year compared to previous seasons.

Moncet said Tanak’s decision was one “we must accept and respect”,🌟 adding: “He is without doubt one of world rally’s finest drivers, as we have been fortunate to experience first-hand through the victories that we have achieved together over three seasons.

“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. Our first year working together was affected by the pandemic; this year we have faced a new raft of hybrid regula🧸tions which have certainly been challenging.

“Ott ha😼s shown real leadership to push himself and the team to find improvements and to return to winning ways. Recently, we have built some positive momentum with our Hyundai i20 N Rally1.”

With one full-time seat now up for grabs, Moncet said attention✅ now switches to finding a suitable candidate to fill it. “We will miss him but it’s also an opportunity for us to regroup and rebuild,” said the Frenchman.

“We were already giving serious thought to our crew composition for 2023 so this decision, while not being one that we wanted, opens different possibilities for us as we prepare for next season. We w﷽ish Ott and Martin the very best for their future.”