Jakarta – Andrew Wheatley, Hyundai's sporting director, has made it clear that the team will go 'full throttle' for the remainder of the 2026 season. With the manufacturers' title slipping away and the drivers' championship seemingly out of reach, Hyundai's only remaining goal is to win rallies.
Wheatley is optimistic that this can happen as early as this week's Rally Paraguay or in Chile two weeks later. "I don't think there's any reason why we shouldn't be in a position to be fighting for the top step of the podium in both Chile and Paraguay," he told DirtFish. "When we review where we are at the moment in terms of performance, on the rough gravel, I think we know we have a car that's capable of being both competitive and reliable."
On smooth gravel, there was initially a question about whether Hyundai could get close to the ultimate pace. However, Wheatley believes the team is now within the window. "As we go to the next two rounds we have a mix of rough and smooth, so we think we can be OK," he added.
Pressed on whether he believes Hyundai can win all of the remaining rounds, Wheatley stated: "Yeah no question, that's it. Full throttle and there is no other option to be honest. So we have to try and make sure we do everything we can to be as prepared as possible."
Wheatley admitted that the championship fight was over "probably since after Greece" in late June. But he emphasized that the target for this year is to be as annoying as possible and get into the inter-team fight at Toyota. "To be in that fight is difficult," he said.
Statistically, Toyota retains the edge heading into South America. Hyundai is the only current competitor not to have won Rally Chile, with Toyota taking three wins (2019, 2024, 2025) and M-Sport Ford one (2023). Toyota also won last year's Rally del Paraguay, although Adrien Fourmaux was on course for second before his rally unravelled in the rain on the final two stages.
Fourmaux recalled his strong performance in Paraguay last year: "We were leading on Friday and fighting at the front for most of the weekend, so it's an event where we know we can be competitive. We learned a lot there last year, and after our recent performances on fast gravel I'm looking forward to going back. The target is clear: we want to fight at the front again and this time make sure we come away with the result."
Thierry Neuville is equally bullish, looking forward to what he described as "more typical gravel stages, with a more dynamic and technical profile, which I generally prefer." He added, "For me, I'm only chasing victories and the best possible results, so the target in Paraguay is as high as it can be."
Baca Juga
Hyundai gas pol untuk sisa musim 2026, targetkan kemenangan di setiap reli setelah gelar juara dunia nyaris mustahil. Wheatley optimistis di Paraguay dan Chile.
FIA beri insentif besar untuk tarik pabrikan ke WRC27, termasuk pemangkasan biaya pendaftaran 50%. Respons Hyundai, Ford, Skoda, Lancia masih dingin.
FIA menargetkan pabrikan China dan putaran WRC di China. Wakil Presiden Malcolm Wilson yakin target ganda ini tercapai, dengan tiga pabrikan China sudah bergabung.
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