WRC Sweden 2026: Thierry Neuville Penalised One Minute and Fined €1,500

WRC Sweden 2026, Sportrik Media – Thierry Neuville has been handed a one-minute time penalty and fined €1,500 (approximately $1,620 USD) for breaching helmet safety regulations during Stage 15 of Rally Sweden.

The Hyundai driver had initially set the fastest time on SS15 Umeå Sprint, beating Takamoto Katsuta by 1.1 seconds. However, onboard footage revealed that the chin strap of his helmet was not properly fastened during the stage.

Hyundai team manager Pablo Marcos explained to the stewards that extreme weather conditions meant Neuville was unable to feel that the chin strap had not been fully secured. While the stewards acknowledged that the breach was not intentional, they ruled that the Belgian driver was still in violation of mandatory safety protocols.

As a result, one minute was added to his SS15 stage time. Despite the sanction, Neuville retains seventh place overall, as he still holds a 1 minute 14.8 second advantage over M-Sport Ford driver Jon Armstrong.

The penalty compounds an already challenging weekend for Neuville, who had earlier lost over a minute after sliding into a snowbank on Friday. Attention now turns to Super Sunday and the Power Stage, where valuable championship points remain available in the second round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship.