WRC, Sportrik Media - Thierry Neuville endured a difficult outing at the 2026 Canary Rally as Hyundai Motorsport continued to struggle against the dominant pace of Toyota Gazoo Racing on asphalt.
All five Toyota drivers remained firmly in control of the rally, while Hyundai’s line-up was unable to match their speed. The situation has been particularly challenging for Neuville, who sits eighth overall, nearly two minutes behind the rally leader.
Saturday’s wetter conditions, including rain on the final stage, did little to improve Hyundai’s competitiveness. Instead, the changing grip levels further exposed the team’s difficulties in maintaining pace and consistency.
“The morning was really challenging, even though the conditions looked good. There was no momentum at all. It’s not that we weren’t trying or lacked commitment, but we simply couldn’t go faster,” Neuville explained.
He added that while the car did not feel particularly bad in wet conditions, the time loss at the finish line highlighted the extent of the performance deficit.
Meanwhile, Adrien Fourmaux improved his position to sixth after overtaking Dani Sordo. The French driver also managed to briefly break Toyota’s dominance by setting a faster time than Sami Pajari on one of the stages.
However, Fourmaux remains around one and a half minutes behind the leader, effectively ruling out any realistic chance of victory. His focus has shifted to defending position, particularly with pressure from Takamoto Katsuta and Pajari close behind.
“It was really challenging. The first part was completely dry, so you had to push flat out, but the next sections were much trickier with mixed dry and wet conditions. It all depends on where the rain falls and how slippery the corners are. The grip is very inconsistent,” Fourmaux said.
With evolving conditions and Toyota maintaining a clear advantage, Hyundai faces a significant challenge to close the gap over the remaining stages, with the focus now on damage limitation rather than outright victory.
Baca Juga
Sebastien Ogier tetap memimpin SS12 Reli Canary 2026 dengan selisih tipis atas Oliver Solberg dalam duel ketat Toyota.
Takamoto Katsuta alami kesalahan unik di Canary 2026, namun tetap tampil kompetitif dan pangkas jarak ke Sami Pajari.
Oliver Solberg tekan Sebastien Ogier di Reli Canary 2026 dengan selisih tipis 5,3 detik dalam duel ketat Toyota di kondisi berubah.
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