Hyundai has introduced significant updates to its World Rally Championship (WRC) vehicle ahead of the Rally in Croatia, hoping to increase competitiveness on asphalt. However, the real question is whether these improvements will be sufficient, as the full development plan will not debut until the Rally in Portugal, scheduled for May.
The start of the 2026 season has not been easy for the Korean team, with its i20 N struggling to maintain consistent speed, especially in low-grip conditions. This has allowed rivals from Toyota to achieve two consecutive victories in the rallies of Monte Carlo and Sweden. Recently, Hyundai interrupted this trend with a second place in Kenya from Adrien Fourmaux.
Updates in Croatia
Before the Kenya rally, Hyundai’s sports director, Andrew Wheatley, announced that, although they have used homologation ‘jokers’ for improvements to the front end and gear ratios, their plan includes additional updates beyond these restrictions. The first improvements, focused on dampers, geometry, and differential interaction, have already arrived in Croatia, although adverse weather conditions forced the team to cancel an essential test in the Canary Islands.
Despite the setbacks, Wheatley expressed confidence that the updates would react positively. “We are already halfway through the development plan. Unfortunately, we lost momentum when the test was canceled, which committed us. However, we are moving in the right direction,” he commented.
Pilot Perspectives
The team drivers, Fourmaux and 2024 world champion Thierry Neuville, share the opinion that the improvements will help. Neuville, who was the third fastest during Thursday’s shakedown, stated that, although the improvements do not completely resolve the car’s balance issues, they have shown significant progress.
Fourmaux added that the work done during the tests has not been in vain and expressed his optimism about the vehicle improvements. “The car feels better, and I believe we can aspire to a podium place,” he said.
Neuville’s Private Test
In addition to team tests, Neuville conducted a two-day private test with a 2017 Hyundai i20 to analyze the issues that have arisen with his current vehicle. After the test, he concluded that the difficulties did not rely so much on the new Hankook tires introduced in 2025, but rather on the need to adjust and improve the current i20 N.
As competition days approach, there is high pressure on Hyundai to demonstrate that the improvements are effective and that they can continue to fight for podium places in upcoming events.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
