The upgraded Hyundai showed its potential, but the team fell short of securing a top result. Toyota celebrated a 1-2 finish with Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, while Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville had to settle for third place.
Defending world champion Neuville had a positive impression of the car, but after just one event, he remained cautious about drawing conclusions.
“Overall it felt good and the performance was there. It’s also hard to really make an analyse because we saw that the variation on the road position was crazy during the weekend,” Neuville explained.
“Even in some sectors we saw massive differences. So it’s very hard to make a proper analysis. But overall we were in the game,” the Belgian star added.
The next round of the season takes place next week in Kenya. For Safari Rally, Hyundai will revert to its previous car, as the updates have not yet been properly tested for such a demanding gravel event.
Safari Rally returned to the WRC calendar in 2021, but Neuville has yet to secure a strong result on African soil.
“In terms of speed, we have been good in Kenya. In terms of reliability, we have had some issues over there which are solved obviously with the propshaft. For me, it didn’t work well over the last years – electronical issues, fuel pump issues. Hopefully those are solved and I can have a clean run,” Neuville said.
“We know how to go fast there. We know what needs to be the approach. Now we need to have a bit of a lucky hand as well,” the Belgian emphasised.
Safari Rally Kenya takes place on 20–23 March.
