Hyundai Fights Back Against Toyota in Portugal

Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux helped Hyundai Motorsport return to the front-running battle after a competitive opening day at the 2026 World Rally Championship Rally Portugal.

Following the first three special stages, Fourmaux held second position overall, just 3.4 seconds behind rally leader Oliver Solberg from Toyota. Meanwhile, Neuville remained in fourth place and within striking distance of the leading group.

The result represented an important positive signal for Hyundai after a difficult start to the season, particularly during the previous asphalt rounds where all of the team’s drivers struggled to consistently unlock the full potential of the Rally1 package.

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“Now we are back on gravel and we need to fight with them — and that’s what we are doing,” Fourmaux explained.

From a technical perspective, Hyundai once again appeared significantly more competitive as the championship returned to traditional gravel rallies. The Hyundai Rally1 package has historically performed better on loose surfaces, particularly regarding traction, suspension stability, and rough-surface compliance.

Fourmaux admitted the opening Portugal stages were especially challenging because many of the sections were completely new to him. However, he felt the strong start provided a major confidence boost both personally and for the entire Hyundai operation after several inconsistent rallies.

The French driver previously secured a podium finish at Safari Rally Kenya, but Hyundai’s momentum declined again in Croatia and the Canary Islands due to setup difficulties and a lack of grip performance.

Meanwhile, Neuville also reported improved confidence with the car. The 2024 world champion had previously complained about Hyundai’s unpredictable balance, especially regarding tyre grip and direction-change response.

“Compared to asphalt, the car’s performance is clearly better,” Neuville said.

Nevertheless, Neuville believes Hyundai still has further development potential to unlock. He admitted the car still feels slightly slow in some areas and has not yet fully delivered the exact response he wants, despite the significant improvement in baseline grip.

Weather conditions are also expected to become a major factor throughout Rally Portugal. Neuville highlighted the difficulty of tyre selection decisions because teams must commit the evening before while forecasts continue changing rapidly.

The long Friday stages without full service are also expected to create major challenges for all manufacturers, particularly regarding tyre management and Rally1 mechanical reliability.

With Hyundai finally rediscovering competitive gravel pace while Toyota continues to lead through Solberg, Rally Portugal is rapidly developing into one of the most important early-season momentum battles of the 2026 WRC campaign.