Motorsport
Hyundai’s wish to stop Toyota’s WRC domination in Portugal
Subscribe to Rally TV on DAZN to watch WRC & ERC
After witnessing Toyota win the opening four rounds of the World Rally Championship, Hyundai is desperate to end the Japanese brand’s domination in Portugal this week.
At this stage last year Hyundai and Toyota had shared the spoils winning two rallies a piece, with Thierry Neuville and Esapekka Lappi winning in Monte Carlo and Sweden, while Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera and Sebastien Ogier were successful in Kenya and Croatia.
This year a very different story has unfolded with Toyota enjoying a 100% winning start thanks to a brace of wins for championship leader Elfyn Evans in Sweden in Kenya, while Ogier and Rovanpera dominated in Monte Carlo and the Canary Islands respectively.
As a result, Hyundai heads into this weekend’s Rally Portugal, 51 points adrift of Toyota in the manufacturers’ standings. The Korean marque’s best performance this season came in Kenya where it managed to get two cars on the podium with Ott Tanak second and Neuville third.
After receiving a drubbing in the Canary Islands with Toyota locking out the top four positions, Hyundai is aiming to bounce back on the gravel in Portugal. It is hoped that the team’s upgraded 2025 i20 N Rally1 car will perform much better on the loose surface than it did on asphalt last time out. Hyundai’s last success in Portugal was back in 2018.
“We are looking to turn the page on a disappointing last round as we go to compete at Rally Portugal,” said Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul.
DAZN
“It’s the second gravel round of the season, and although it is a completely different kind of profile to Kenya, we have demonstrated that we have the pace to perform well on this surface. The team has a lot of experience in Portugal and I know that everyone will push hard to claim a solid result at the end of the weekend.
“We need to continue apply pressure across the championships and close the gap to Toyota. Securing another strong finish is key, but we're aiming for a full team result that puts us back in the championship fight.”
Reigning champion Neuville is fully aware that he needs to deliver results fast if he wishes to defend his title. The Belgian heads into Portugal - a rally he won in 2018 - 50 points behind championship leader Evans.
“Portugal is like any other gravel rally, you need to optimise your road position and try to manage the temperatures. The main challenge is the road conditions, they can be abrasive and tyre wear can be an issue if you push too hard,” he said.
“We need a strong result as a team, we need to be stronger than the Toyotas and we need to outscore Elfyn – he has a big lead in the championship and we haven’t been able to fight back as much as we would have hoped, so he will be our main target to beat in Portugal along with Kalle.”
The mood is similar for team-mates Tanak (2019 Portugal winner) and Adrien Fourmaux, as the pair both wish to ignite their respective campaigns.
“Portugal is a huge event in so many ways. They are roads that I enjoy a lot, and the history of the rally paired with the atmosphere we have there every year is all you can ask for from an event,” said Tanak.
“Every time we go to a rally, we always target to be on top in the fight, but you are only as good as your last result, which in our case wasn’t the strongest. We need to keep our head down and work our way back on top.”
Fourmaux, added: “We didn’t get the best results at the end of the last round, so as a team we need to stop the domination of Toyota and get a really good result with all three cars. I want to be back on the podium to help with the charge, this is crucial for the rest of the season.”
Watch 2025 World Rally Championship on DAZN
The 2025 World Rally Championship is available through DAZN on its own dedicated app channel, Rally TV.
It is available either as a dedicated Rally TV subscription, or as part of your existing DAZN subscription for a small add-on fee.
DAZN is the home of Rally TV worldwide, excluding Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, China, Hong Kong and Japan.
Rally TV also broadcasts every race from the European Rally Championship.
Watch every WRC and ERC race this year on DAZN's 24-hour dedicated Rally TV channel. For more information on prices, subscriptions and more, click here .
