WRC drivers evaluated new Hankook tires

World Rally Championship (WRC) drivers have expressed "cautious optimism" about the new Hankook tires for the Rallye Monte-Carlo, which they were able to assess during the Rallye National Hivernal du Dévoluy last weekend and tests this week, according to Dirtfish.

In 2025, Hankook will replace Pirelli as the sole tire supplier for the WRC, but under the terms of the agreement with the Italian manufacturer, teams were given the opportunity to test the new tires as part of their preparation for the first round of next season, which will traditionally take place in Monte-Carlo.

After the race in the French Alps, Adrien Fourmaux noted that he was generally satisfied with the tires, but certain characteristics need to be improved. "The slicks are good," he said. "I was also happy with the winter tires, but they need a bit of work to make them suitable for Monte."

According to Dirtfish, drivers hope that Hankook will be able to increase the volume of tread grooves on the snow tires to make the grip higher and more stable.

"It's very good that Hankook is open to our suggestions," Fourmaux noted. "We talked to them about this [tread groove issue], and I hope we can do something together with the FIA, which needs to regulate all tire changes. In the end, it's a matter of safety. Overall, the feelings were positive."

Regarding how the Hankook slicks performed compared to the Pirelli tires used in the last round of the 2024 season in Japan, Fourmaux noted that the road conditions made such comparisons difficult.

"We're quite happy with the slicks, as I've already said," he stated. "But this was a test of Monte-Carlo tires, and it was cold, with a wet track, a bit of snow and ice, whereas in Japan it was all different. It's hard to compare. In Japan, there were many more turns and a different level of grip."

Fourmaux won in France, while second place went to Kalle Rovanperä, who noted: "Everything was fine. The conditions were good, it was what we needed to prepare for Monte. We tested the new Hankook tires, and overall it was a pretty good weekend. We did a lot of testing and got a lot of important information for next year."

Photo: Dirtfish.