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Hyundai Stumbles at Rally Islas Canarias While Toyota Dominates
Hyundai has acknowledged that it misjudged the challenges posed by the Rally Islas Canarias, leading to a situation where the team is primarily focused on limiting damage while Toyota has secured the top five positions.
The Korean team is struggling to find the speed on the Canary Islands’ smooth asphalt roads, which are making their debut in the World Rally Championship this weekend.
Drivers Thierry Neuville, Ott Tanak, and Adrien Fourmaux have been unable to keep pace with Toyota’s competitors while navigating the newly upgraded 2025 i20 N Rally1 vehicles. At the end of the Saturday morning stages, Fourmaux was the best-ranked of the three in sixth place, trailing leader Kalle Rovanpera of Toyota by 1 minute and 39.7 seconds, while Neuville and Tanak were positioned seventh [+1m47.5s] and eighth [+2m01.8s], respectively.
The Hyundai drivers have consistently reported issues with balance and grip while using the new Hankook hard tires for the first time, which has hindered their ability to drive confidently. Despite numerous attempts at setup changes, the adjustments have yielded little improvement, suggesting a more profound issue with the car’s performance under these conditions. It’s important to note that WRC teams face restrictions on making changes during the rally, as key components, including differentials, are sealed for the event.
“At least we are competing with our teammates, which gives us something to fight for, but that’s our only option at the moment,” Neuville commented. “I’m confident that the differentials we currently have are not optimal. Unfortunately, the upgrades we made three years ago restrict us from running a more open and free differential like Toyota.”
When queried about concerns regarding car performance in upcoming asphalt events in Central Europe and Japan, Neuville responded, “No, the conditions here are very specific. It’s a rally that demands pure car performance, almost like driving a Formula 1 car. The roads are impeccably clean and dry, with only minor fog present.” He also noted that rallies in Central Europe and Japan can allow for some compensation in challenging conditions, where Hyundai typically excels. “I’m not too worried,” he added.
Hyundai is still investigating the root cause of why the i20 N struggles to perform as effectively on tires compared to Toyota. This situation will likely prompt a more extensive examination at the team’s headquarters.
The unexpected speed gap between Hyundai and Toyota has come as a shock, especially since Neuville had outpaced Toyota’s Elfyn Evans during a test rally in Sierra Morena, Spain, earlier this month.
Reflecting on the current predicament, Hyundai’s technical director, FX Demaison, has not ruled out invoking its final development homologation joker should circumstances warrant it. “We’ve experimented with various setups, but none have significantly enhanced our performance,” he shared. “We’ve reverted to an earlier setup, but there are limitations imposed by sealed components that prevent us from maximizing the tire performance.”
“We didn’t have a test here, and that might have been a mistake. We underestimated the complexity of this rally,” he added. “Right now, we are in damage limitation mode, focusing on scoring as many points as possible while preparing to improve in the future.”
In contrast, Toyota has showcased undeniable dominance, with Rovanpera leading the charge by winning the first nine stages of the rally and extending a 36.9-second lead over teammate Sébastien Ogier.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans finished Saturday morning in third place, trailing by 53 seconds, while teammates Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta followed in fourth and fifth, respectively. M-Sport-Ford’s Gregoire Munster came in ninth, with Yohan Rossel completing the top ten and leading the WRC2 class.
Source
www.autosport.com