Hyundai has launched its 2023 i20 WRC contender with various updates compared with the 2022 version.
Externally, Hyundai has brought several new aero modifications to the car, with a revised nose, mirrors, side skirts and rear wing. The nose design adds a ‘duck bill’ to the leading edge of the hood, which, though quite different from the profile of the road version, falls within a legality box defined by the regulations.
Along the sides of the car, the front arches and mirrors have also been revised, with a much slimmer profile to the top section of the wheel arches. The rear wing has evolved and bears more than a passing resemblance to that run by Toyota on the Yaris in 2022. Notably, the uppermost element of the wing now stretches the full width of the car, making maximum use of the freedom afforded by the regulations, with the ends of the wing terminating in a pair of winglets.
Commenting on the challenge of the new season, Hyundai Motorsport president Sean Kim said, “Last year was one of the most challenging for us as a team, yet perhaps also one of the most rewarding. Working with a new set of technical regulations and building our first-ever hybrid car was no easy feat. Although we had a difficult start to the season, we rose up, regrouped and kept pushing ourselves; as a result, we were the top-performing team in the second half of the year and we finished on an incredible high.”
