RALLY FINLAND 2026: HYUNDAI TARGETS ANOTHER STRONG RESULT ON FAST GRAVEL

Thierry Neuville driving the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 during the FIA World Rally Championship season.

HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT HEADS TO THE TENTH WRC ROUND WITH NEUVILLE, FOURMAUX AND HOME HERO LAPPI

The 2026 FIA World Rally Championship heads to Finland from July 30 to August 2 for the tenth round of the season, with Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team aiming to continue its strong form on fast gravel.

The team arrives at Rally Finland 2026 encouraged by its performance at Rally Estonia, where Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria secured their second podium finish of the season. The result also marked Hyundai Motorsport’s 150th podium in the FIA World Rally Championship.

Fourmaux will continue alongside Thierry Neuville, while home favourite Esapekka Lappi returns to the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 for his home event. Lappi returns to the rally where he claimed his maiden FIA World Rally Championship victory in 2017.

Key Points:

• Rally Finland 2026 is the tenth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

• The event takes place from July 30 to August 2.

• The rally features 20 special stages and 316.04 kilometres of competitive distance.

• Rally Finland begins with the Harju super special stage on Thursday evening.

• The event is based in Jyväskylä and continues through the forests of Central Finland.

• Hyundai arrives after Adrien Fourmaux’s second podium of the season at Rally Estonia.

• The Estonia result marked Hyundai Motorsport’s 150th WRC podium.

• Thierry Neuville, Adrien Fourmaux and Esapekka Lappi will compete for Hyundai.

• Lappi returns to the event where he scored his maiden WRC victory in 2017.

• Hyundai is targeting another strong result on fast gravel.

HYUNDAI LOOKS TO BUILD ON ESTONIA PACE

Rally Finland is known for its high-speed gravel stages, flowing roads, tight bends and spectacular jumps. The event demands confidence and precision, while small margins can separate the leading crews.

The 2026 route includes 20 stages covering 316.04 competitive kilometres. Following Thursday evening’s Harju super special stage, the rally continues with three full days of competition through Central Finland.

Hyundai Motorsport will aim to carry the pace shown in Estonia into the Finnish event, with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 set to face another demanding high-speed gravel challenge.

LAPPI RETURNS TO HIS HOME RALLY

The presence of Esapekka Lappi adds a home driver to Hyundai’s Rally Finland 2026 line-up. The Finn returns to the rally where he secured his first FIA World Rally Championship victory in 2017.

Together with Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux, Lappi completes Hyundai’s three-car entry for the tenth round of the 2026 WRC season.

The team’s objective is to convert its recent fast-gravel pace into another strong points haul at one of the fastest events on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar.

Q+A with Hyundai Motorsport WRC Sporting Director Andrew Wheatley

After the team’s performance in Estonia, how do you expect to perform in Finland?

"The team performance in Estonia showed that the hard work done by the Engineering Team over the last three months has produced the results we need to be competitive across the different gravel events remaining in the 2026 season. Estonia features long, high-speed flat-out sections as well as narrow connecting roads, and to be competitive on both is encouraging. Finland is similar in nature, although not exactly the same, but despite the home advantage for Toyota, our performance in Estonia showed that we have the outright pace to challenge for the podium."

What makes Rally Finland unique?

"The 'Finnish Grand Prix', as it is known locally, combines high-speed rollercoaster stages with the spectacular mid-corner jumps that are famous around the world, as well as low-speed connecting roads that challenge even the most experienced crews. The atmosphere is a key part of what makes Finland unique. Hundreds of thousands of spectators from around the world arrive in Jyväskylä to experience some of the best gravel stages in the championship. Pressure will be high on the local drivers as they fight for every tenth of a second, but this is an event where drivers from across Europe have enjoyed success in the past, and we hope that will once again be the case this year."

What challenges do you expect to face?

"In theory, the Hyundai drivers have a very positive road position in Finland. As in Estonia, the Hyundai crews will start sixth, seventh and eighth, which should be an advantage on the high-speed stages. The biggest challenge will be the weather. If the stages are wet, it can give an advantage to the earlier cars on the road. If there has been consistent rain, the road surface can break up and bring larger stones to the surface. On the high-speed stages, this can create a significant puncture risk, as many of the obstacles are blind. Finland is a rally that every driver wants to win, which gives extra motivation to all the crews. One thing is for certain: with this being the final season for the Rally1 cars on these types of stages, the spectators can be sure of a fantastic show."

Views from the crews

Thierry Neuville said: "There are a lot of similarities between Estonia and Finland, but for me the biggest difference is the surface. Estonia is softer and more gravelly, whereas Finland has much higher grip, so sometimes it feels a bit like driving on tarmac. There are also more crests and blind corners. We learned a lot in Estonia and still have a little room for improvement, so we'll be working to make the car even stronger ahead of Finland. Experience always helps, but many of the drivers know these roads extremely well and have the advantage of local knowledge. Our goal is the same as it was in Estonia: to fight for victory, be in the battle from the very first stage, stay out of trouble and have a perfect weekend.

Adrien Fourmaux said: "Rally Finland is a unique event and one of the true classics of the WRC. It's not just about driving flat out – you have to commit over the crests and jumps, making sure you land the car perfectly to carry speed into the next corner. The podium we achieved in Estonia gives us confidence heading into Finland. Last year we were fighting for second and third with Thierry until we both suffered punctures after hitting the same rock on Saturday, so I believe we can be strong this year as well. We have a good road position, completed a positive test in Finland, and we'll be pushing hard. I'm confident we can fight for another podium."

Esapekka Lappi said: "It will be nice to be back at my home rally, even if I probably don't have an advantage after missing the event last year. At rallies like Finland, experience counts for a lot because the regular competitors know from memory how much speed they can carry into every corner and crest. There are some new stages this year, so everyone starts with a slightly cleaner slate, which should help us to have better chances. After Estonia, the goal is simply to improve, have a stronger weekend and be closer to the front."