Neuville Backs Shorter Rally Estonia Format for 2026

Thierry Neuville has welcomed the revised format for Rally Estonia 2026, with the World Rally Championship event set to run on a significantly shortened schedule.

Traditionally, WRC rallies begin on Thursday morning with a shakedown session before a short spectator stage takes place later in the evening. This season, however, Rally Estonia will not begin until Friday morning's shakedown, with crews then completing media activities before heading to the opening competitive stage after lunch.

Despite the removal of one full day from the timetable, the competitive distance remains largely unchanged. The rally will still feature more than 300 kilometres of special stages, ensuring that the sporting challenge remains intact.

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The change has been introduced primarily to reduce costs for teams. Under the revised schedule, competitors can arrive in Estonia a day later than usual, creating meaningful logistical savings, particularly for the larger factory operations.

"I think it's a good idea."

"I think there are a couple of events during the year where the format should be shorter."

The Hyundai driver believes the WRC calendar benefits from having a variety of rally formats rather than every event following an identical structure. In his view, a mixture of shorter and longer rallies would add diversity and create new challenges for competitors.

"I've said it many times before: we need some longer rallies and some shorter rallies. We need a mix of different itineraries."

Neuville also suggested that organizers should occasionally alter the order of stages between morning and afternoon loops to create greater unpredictability and improve the overall spectacle.

"That helps create stories as well, because if every rally and every day follows the same pattern, it becomes boring for us and for the spectators."

The Belgian believes the championship's new promoter is already working toward that objective. By introducing fresh ideas into event structures and itineraries, WRC organizers hope to make rallies more efficient while maintaining strong sporting and entertainment value for teams, drivers and fans alike.