Hyundai faced significant challenges for a long time during Rally Finland, but after Toyota encountered problems, the team ultimately managed to secure an impressive points haul from Finland.
Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier won Rally Finland, but Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville achieved a notable defensive victory. Neuville now leads the drivers’ championship by 27 points over Ogier, and on the manufacturers’ side, Hyundai’s lead over Toyota extended to 20 points in Finland. These are significant differences, with only four rallies remaining in the season.
Rally Finland undeniably highlighted that Hyundai still has work to do. The Hyundai car didn’t suit the drivers at all in the challenging conditions of Central Finland.
“We had difficulty setting up the car, and I’m not quite sure that it’s just a matter of setup,” team principal Cyril Abiteboul admitted to Rallyjournal.com.
“We saw that our car is very picky and demanding in terms of conditions, and I think with the changing conditions that we had over the weekend, sometimes it’s pretty good, and sometimes you’re actually outside of the window,” Abiteboul continued.
According to Abiteboul, Hyundai now knows the direction it wants to take.
“I think we first need to have a car that is a bit more tolerant and, in general, gives more confidence in low-grip conditions,” he stated.
Hyundai achieved an excellent result in Finland partly due to sheer luck and Toyota’s misfortune, but above all, the team gained extremely important lessons from Central Finland for the future.
“I think this was the first time I felt that our car is really a step below Toyota. The good news is that we are in the ninth round of the season, and this issue is only coming up now. So at least we know where to focus for next year,” Abiteboul said.
