Hyundai drivers relieved asphalt WRC season is over after “no comparison with Toyota”

June 3, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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Hyundai World Rally Championship drivers are relieved a series of asphalt rallies are over after a Rally Japan where they were again outclassed by rivals Toyota.

Toyota was the overwhelming favourite to dominate the final asphalt rally of the season having taken a step forward with its GR Yaris, while Hyundai struggled to find answers to widen the operating window of its i20 N, and in some cases gone backwards with its EVO-spec car that debuted last year.

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After Toyota scored a 1-2-3-4 in the previous asphalt round in the Canary Islands, there were expectations within the Hyundai camp that it could offer an improved showing in Japan and split the Toyota contingent on pace.

While there were signs that target was possible when Thierry Neuville held fourth after Friday morning’s stages, held in damp conditions, the understeer and balance issues that have plagued the season returned when the stages dried.

Ultimately, Neuville had to settle for sixth, 38.8 seconds slower than team-mate Adrien Fourmaux, who emerged as the top Hyundai in fifth, 2m34.8s behind eventual winner Elfyn Evans.

“I was on the limit of the front of the car all of the time. I’m disappointed that I could not find any improvement in terms of set up. We don’t even need to compare ourselves to Toyota, there is no comparison,” said Neuville.

Thierry Neuville:

“I don't need to worry any more about it. I should be disappointed that this is the last tarmac rally with the Rally1 car, but somehow I'm not, which says it all. I'm happy to look forward to gravel now.

“We went slower than in the past. Toyota improved in Power Stage between four to six seconds between four drivers in the first pass. I was seven seconds slower than my first pass two years ago.

“For sure, it is the [Hankook] tyres [that were introduced in 2025] and we have lost the hybrid power since 2024 so we are a bit down on engine power on corner exit and our differentials do not work as we don’t have the torque to make the differential work properly. They are all little things which make us go slow.”

Likewise, Fourmaux was equally frustrated to finish in fifth and is relieved that the asphalt season is over and the focus can shift to gravel rallies.

“I want to be fighting with the Toyotas. In the rain we were losing a lot of time but in the dry I wasn’t able to do any good times against them [Toyota], so it is quite frustrating and it is a relief that the tarmac rallies are finished and we can be focused on gravel,” said Fourmaux.

Seven consecutive gravel rallies will complete the 2026 campaign, beginning with Acropolis Rally Greece later this month, an event Hyundai has won three times in the past four years - with Neuville tasting victory in 2022 and 2024. Hyundai has already taken a victory on gravel this year in Portugal last month, and is pinning its season hopes on its gravel performance.

"It is a relief that the tarmac rallies are finished," said Adrien Fourmaux

Photo by: Hyundai

“For sure, we should have a good start position [in Greece] and it is generally a rally where Hyundai has been successful in the past. Rough gravel rallies with lots of grip is where we are strong,” Neuville added.

Hyundai sporting director Andrew Wheatley couldn’t fault the efforts from his drivers, but admitted the team expected more from its package in Japan.

“We saw a little bit of frustration from Thierry on Sunday but that is because he wants to be successful and he is used to being in front, and he needs to be in front for his motivation. The best motivation we have is to think forward,” said Wheatley.

"We expected a little bit more. We thought we could fight for fourth, maybe third, and OK, fifth is not so far away, but we wanted a little bit more from this rally to be honest with the work that we have done in the recent months.

"We got three cars to the finish with no problems and no technical issues. The drivers would have learnt a lot, and they did everything that they could.

“In the wet we were surprisingly good actually. It was not so good for Adrien but good for Thierry. To be honest we feel there was a little bit more of an opportunity here.”

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