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Hyundai faces a daunting challenge in the 2026 World Rally Championship, grappling with significant performance gaps to Toyota after recent defeats. Rally Sweden becomes a testing ground, as Hyundai experiments with various set-ups for its i20 N Rally1 cars. After Toyota's dominant 1-2-3-4 finish, featuring Elfyn Evans, Hyundai drivers Thierry Neuville, Adrien Fourmaux, and Esapekka Lappi struggle to find speed and confidence. Fourmaux finishes as the top Hyundai in fifth, trailing Evans by 1m50.3s. Neuville cites a "disaster" in braking and grip issues, despite trying 30-35 different settings during the rally. Lappi, returning to the team, expresses frustration at the team's pace compared to his 2024 victory. He highlights missing elements like the hybrid system and expresses uncertainty about the current performance struggles. Improvements are noted, with Neuville claiming three fastest stage times, but the road ahead remains challenging for Hyundai.
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