HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT TARGETS PODIUM RETURN AT RALLY DEL PARAGUAY
HYUNDAI SHELL MOBIS WORLD RALLY TEAM HEADS TO PARAGUAY FOR ROUND 11 OF THE 2026 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team heads to Rally del Paraguay for Round 11 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, with the South American event taking place from August 27-30.
The team arrives after a challenging Rally Finland, where Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria finished fourth, while Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe took fifth. Despite showing promising pace, Hyundai Motorsport was unable to secure a top-three result.
The team will now look to convert that pace into a stronger result at Hyundai Motorsport Rally Paraguay.
RALLY DEL PARAGUAY BRINGS NEW GRAVEL CHALLENGE
Based around Encarnación, Rally del Paraguay features red-earth gravel roads combining fast, flowing sections with more technical stages.
The soft surface can deteriorate between passes, creating deeper ruts and exposing rocks. Dry conditions can also produce fine dust and reduced visibility, while rain can rapidly change the characteristics of the roads.
The 2026 event consists of 22 stages covering 357.64 kilometres of competitive distance, with competition taking place across the Itapúa region over four days.
PADDON RETURNS FOR FOURTH WRC EVENT OF 2026
Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux will be joined by Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard in the third Hyundai i20 N Rally1.
Paddon and Kennard return for their fourth WRC event of the season after previously competing in Monte-Carlo, Croatia and Japan. Their additional gravel experience will be part of Hyundai Motorsport's line-up for the championship's return to South America.
HYUNDAI TO DEBUT SPECIAL PARAGUAY LIVERY
Hyundai Motorsport will introduce a special livery for Rally del Paraguay.
The design will be carried by all three Hyundai i20 N Rally1 cars in Paraguay and will remain on the cars for Rally Chile two weeks later, marking the team's participation in the two-round South American WRC double-header.
HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT RALLY PARAGUAY: KEY POINTS
• Rally del Paraguay hosts Round 11 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship.
• The event runs from August 27-30, 2026.
• Hyundai Motorsport arrives after a challenging Rally Finland.
• Adrien Fourmaux finished fourth and Thierry Neuville fifth in Finland.
• Hayden Paddon and John Kennard return for their fourth WRC event of 2026.
• Rally del Paraguay features 22 gravel stages and 357.64 km of competitive distance.
• The event is based around Encarnación in the Itapúa region.
• Hyundai Motorsport will debut a special livery in Paraguay.
• The special livery will also be used at Rally Chile two weeks later.
QUOTE NOTE: The supplied press release contains no direct driver or team quotations. No quotations have been invented or added.
RALLY DEL PARAGUAY EVENT DATA
Event: Rally del Paraguay
Championship: FIA World Rally Championship
Round: 11
Date: August 27-30, 2026
Surface: Gravel
Base: Encarnación
Stages: 22
Competitive Distance: 357.64 km
Region: Itapúa, Paraguay
Q+A with Hyundai Motorsport WRC Sporting Director Andrew Wheatley
After showing strong pace but not quite getting the result you were capable of in Finland, what are the team's expectations for Rally del Paraguay?
“Finland was a case of ‘what if’, with challenging weather changing the outcome of the event. We have to put this behind us, refocus on the positives and look towards the next two rallies with confidence. The team was fast in 2025 in both Paraguay and Chile but suffered with small issues that meant a win was not possible. Twelve months later, we know that the hard work the team has done on the pre-event preparation and the rally-by-rally setup for the Evo version of the Rally1 i20 N means that the pace shown on the rough gravel stages in Kenya, Portugal and Greece, plus the confirmation that we are close to the target car speed for the smooth, fast gravel stages, should help us to start Paraguay in a positive mindset. As always, fighting for a win against strong competition means no mistakes, but we have three crews that can challenge for the podium.”
What did the team learn from last year's inaugural Rally del Paraguay that will help this time around?
“Since Paraguay last year, a huge amount of work has been done to understand the Evo chassis and to make the crews as confident as possible. However, a mix of changeable weather conditions on high-speed roads, with some big compressions that contribute to a high puncture risk, means that the Paraguay setup will always be about trying to find the best compromise. A combination of punctures, a couple of small off-road excursions and some niggles on the car, including a problematic watersplash on day three, kept the crews from fighting for the top step of the podium in 2025. But this is exactly where the bulk of the work has been done this year, and we can start this event with confidence high.”
What will be the key to fighting for a strong result this weekend?
“As with all events in the WRC, a strong start and consistent performance is essential in Paraguay. But unlike Estonia and Finland, this is not an event where the stage wins are measured in tenths of a second, so there is some opportunity for the crews to establish a good rhythm without pushing at 100% from SS1. Keeping clean, driving to the conditions and managing the challenges will be key to bringing home a good result.”
Views from the crews
Thierry Neuville said: “I’m really looking forward to Paraguay. After two fast rallies, we are back to more typical gravel stages, with a more dynamic and technical profile, which I generally prefer. I really enjoyed the stages last year and the atmosphere was great, so I can’t wait to be back. We learned a lot from the event last year, particularly with some of the technical choices we made, so this year we have made some different choices with the set-up. The roads are also quite cambered and the weather can play an important role – when it rained last year, it was super slippery. Finland didn’t go as we wanted, although we had the speed and were back to a good feeling on Sunday. For me, I’m only chasing victories and the best possible results, so the target in Paraguay is as high as it can be.”
Adrien Fourmaux said: “Last year we had a really strong rally in Paraguay. We were leading on Friday and fighting at the front for most of the weekend, so it’s an event where we know we can be competitive. The stages are quite unique, with the grip changing a lot and some very fast sections, so you need to have confidence in the car and be able to adapt quickly. We learned a lot there last year, and after our recent performances on fast gravel I’m looking forward to going back. The target is clear: we want to fight at the front again and this time make sure we come away with the result.”
Hayden Paddon said: “I’m very excited to finally be on gravel with the car, and to be doing it in South America makes it even more special. It feels like a full-circle moment. Our mileage on gravel is limited to just two short tests, but from the very first kilometre I felt at home in the car and on the surface. I know the car reasonably well now from our tarmac events, and gravel is my comfort zone, so it’s a matter of combining the two and getting up to speed as quickly as possible. We’ve spent a lot of time studying videos and data to prepare, and the fact that 40% of the route is new this year helps us a little. The target is different to our tarmac events – this time we want to drive flat out, give it everything we have and deliver the strongest result possible for the team.”
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