Hankook became the official tyre supplier for the World Rally Championship at the beginning of this season. For some drivers, the switch from Pirelli to Hankook has been more difficult, while others have found the new tyres to suit them better.
Hankook introduced updated gravel tyres for the Portugal round held nearly two weeks ago. The tyre proved durable overall, with few punctures affecting the outcome of the rally.
However, drivers still had plenty to think about regarding tyre selection strategy throughout the weekend.
“It’s still very hard to know when to use the soft and when to use the hard tyre. There were some surprising stage times with different compounds, but in the end, the gaps were never really big,” Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville told RallyJournal.com.
“We’ll find out more in Sardinia. Also, the tyre wear was actually very reasonable, to be honest. Maybe we could have had a bit more wear, actually,” the Belgian added.
Neuville’s teammate Adrien Fourmaux shared similar thoughts, noting that the difference between the hard and soft compounds is smaller than in previous years.
“The soft is a bit too much like a medium, which limits strategic options, as the performance difference is difficult to assess,” Fourmaux said in an interview with Rallye-sport.fr.
Last week, Hyundai drivers conducted a test in preparation for the upcoming Rally Sardinia, with a strong focus on Hankook’s gravel performance.
“We found some small things during testing, but they still need to be confirmed in competition,” Fourmaux reported.
The WRC Rally Sardinia is scheduled for 5–8 June 2025.
