Hyundai was ‘clearly unprepared’ for WRC Canary Islands spherical

Ott Tanak felt Hyundai was ‘clearly unprepared’ for the calls for of Rally Islas Canarias after struggling a crushing defeat to World Rally Championship rivals Toyota. 

Hyundai admitted that it underestimated the problem of the primary pure asphalt occasion of the 2025 WRC season because it was unable to take the struggle to a dominant Toyota that recorded a formidable 1-2-3-4 consequence. 

The Korean marque headed to the Canary Islands feeling moderately assured after Thierry Neuville confirmed robust tempo on Spanish tarmac roads at Rally Sierra Morena. Nevertheless, within the Canary Islands the staff struggled with the set-up and dealing with throughout its three automobiles and could not extract probably the most from Hankook exhausting compound tyres.

The differentials chosen pre-event seemed to be a key a part of the issue and one thing the staff couldn’t reverse because the parts are sealed. However the staff admitted that the rally had highlighted some elementary points with its upgraded i20 N Rally1 automotive. In consequence, Saturday and Sunday’s levels became a glorified check session designed to study extra about its automotive for future occasions.

Adrien Fourmaux, who chosen a distinct differential in comparison with team-mates Neuville and Tanak, emerged because the quickest Hyundai, ending fifth some 2m31.0s adrift of runaway winner Kalle Rovanpera.

Hyundai has one homologation joker up its sleeve to deploy ought to it uncover important modifications to its i20 N Rally1 are required to resolve the problems. Tanak believes the basis reason behind the shortage of tempo is just not an easy repair.    

“Clearly we weren’t nicely ready for this rally, and it was a type of rally which reveals it nicely, as we are able to see the tempo was coming from the opposite producer,” Tanak informed Motorsport.com after ending sixth, 3m11.4s adrift. 

“It was a pure-performance occasion and we had been simply not prepared for this one, and the opposite staff was very robust and nicely ready, so that’s the place the massive distinction got here from.

“Positively large classes will likely be taken however undoubtedly it isn’t so clear what we have to do and be on the tempo of Toyota. I additionally suppose that it isn’t so simple to vary it.” 

Whereas pissed off by being unable to struggle Toyota, Fourmaux believes Hyundai will resolve its issues and that final weekend’s woes had been rally-specific, that means they shouldn’t be a problem when asphalt returns to the WRC on the Central European Rally in October. 

“I’m actually pissed off as a result of we had been unable to struggle however we discovered some attention-grabbing issues on the automotive that we are able to enhance, issues that we could not actually do on the rally, it’s extra for the long run,” Fourmaux informed Motorsport.com.  

“Personally I’m completely happy to be the quickest of the three because it was a struggle throughout the staff on the finish and I feel it was the one struggle throughout the entire weekend. There are some positives as a result of on the finish we gained the ‘Hyundai Cup’.

“I’m assured Hyundai is just not a staff that does not react when one thing [goes wrong], so we are going to work tougher and get higher, quicker and stronger. 

“Canary Islands is just one rally in season, and so long as there will not be many extra easy, dry tarmac occasions we must be tremendous. The remainder are okay, it must be tremendous.”