Thierry Neuville Feels Like Lewis Hamilton in WRC 2026

WRC, Sportrik Media – Thierry Neuville says he feels “a bit like Lewis Hamilton” as he continues to struggle for confidence and consistency with Hyundai’s i20 N Rally1 ahead of Rally Sweden 2026.

Neuville drew parallels with Hamilton’s well-documented adaptation challenges since Formula 1 transitioned to the ground-effect era in 2022. Although the World Rally Championship introduced Rally1 regulations in the same year — and Neuville went on to secure the 2024 world title with Hyundai Motorsport — the Belgian admits he is currently unable to extract the full potential from the team’s ‘Evo’ specification car.

“I feel a bit like Lewis Hamilton at the moment,” Neuville told DirtFish.

The 37-year-old’s primary concern is a lack of feeling behind the wheel, something he suggests is limiting his ability to maximise performance compared to team-mate Adrien Fourmaux. While Hyundai’s overall competitiveness has fluctuated, Neuville emphasised that his frustration centres on the disconnect with the car rather than motivation.

“The willing is still there, but I feel like at the moment, even with the will, it’s not working. It’s too challenging.”

“We don’t know what we are fighting, but we are fighting against something which is obviously more difficult to solve. And that makes it very, very difficult.”

“I’m not the only one. We are at least three in the team.”

Hyundai’s ‘Evo’ car has been driven by multiple drivers including Ott Tanak, Esapekka Lappi and Hayden Paddon. However, Neuville underlined that development progress depends more on selecting the right feedback than simply gathering volume.

“You can have a lot of ingredients to make a good salad. You only need to choose the ones which really add something to your recipe.”

Despite the current challenges, Neuville arrives in Sweden with a strong record, having secured three podium finishes in the last four editions of the event. He remains focused on rediscovering rhythm and delivering a result for the team.

“Generally, we have always been fast here. Even last year, we were quite strong.”

“It’s just about the feeling in the car, which still needs to improve a bit.”

“We want to be consistently fast and consistently fighting for podiums. Monte Carlo was a big disappointment for us, clearly. Lots of frustration as well, but now we look ahead.”

“There’s a new chance just right in front of us.”

Rally Sweden represents an immediate opportunity for Neuville and Hyundai to reset momentum after a frustrating start to the campaign. Regaining confidence in the car and translating that into stage performance will be critical to maintaining their championship ambitions in the 2026 WRC season.