This year, Toyota has been utterly dominant in the WRC. With 12 rounds completed, the Japanese manufacturer has claimed 11 victories compared to Hyundai’s single win.
Toyota has already secured the manufacturers’ title, even with two rallies still to go. Meanwhile, the drivers’ crown will be decided almost certainly between Toyota’s trio of Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak remains in the mathematical fight for the title, but his chances are minimal.
Hyundai, along with newly appointed sporting director Andrew Wheatley, has its eyes firmly set on 2026, which begins in just over two and a half months. Still, the team is targeting success in the remaining rounds in Japan and Saudi Arabia.
“We’re going to Japan to try and win. First of all, we want more information on how the car’s going to work. But it’s an event where the team’s traditionally done well in the past. And we’re going to Japan to try and win. We’re going to Saudi to try and win. But we are also working towards 2026,” Wheatley told DirtFish.
Wheatley made no secret of Hyundai’s ambitious target.
“We also have to be thinking that we’re not far from the start of the new season. And we need to come out in 2026 with all guns blaring. We are going to win the championship in 2026, and that’s what we have to work towards.”
Earlier this year, Hyundai introduced an updated version of its i20 N Rally1 car, but its performance hasn’t matched Toyota’s pace, especially on asphalt rallies. Toyota humiliated Hyundai on the Canary Islands in April and again two weeks ago at the Central European Rally.
Next week’s Rally Japan marks the final asphalt event of the season. In Central Europe, Tänak opted to drive last year’s car, while Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux used the latest specification. Tänak is likely to continue with the older-spec car in Japan.
“We have had a chance to get more data on lots of different tarmac surfaces. The choice is up to Ott but, for me, it’s a sensible option to go with what you’re fresh with. At least he knows what he’s got and how he can get the best from it,” Wheatley explained.
Rally Japan takes place from 6 to 9 November.
