Hyundai unleashes refreshed 2026 WRC challenger

Hyundai has revealed its new-look i20 N Rally1 that it hopes will close the gap to rivals Toyota in the 2026 World Rally Championship.

The Korean brand will sport a new livery on its car for the 2026 season that will be driven by 2024 champion Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux, while the third car will be shared across Dani Sordo, Esapekka Lappi and Hayden Paddon, who rejoins the team after an eight-year hiatus.

The new livery represents a change with the design paying tribute to Hyundai’s racing heritage around the world. The iconic Performance Blue and Active Red return alongside design features honouring Nurburgring, the home of Hyundai N, and Namyang, the location of Hyundai Motor Group’s R&D Centre and Design Centre. A series of special liveries will also feature at selected WRC events during the season.

Hyundai endured a dismal 2025 campaign that yielded two victories, while Toyota romped to a manufacturers’ and drivers’ title double winning 12 of the 14 rallies. Hyundai showed flashes of speed with its heavily upgraded i20 N Rally1 car but struggled for consistent pace and reliability. The car made strides forward on fast gravel rallies, but struggled when conditions became slippery, particularly on asphalt.

Photo by: Hyundai

In the off-season Hyundai has been working to address the weaknesses with its WRC challenger that has resulted in a number of items its drivers have been evaluating during 16 days of testing since last year’s final round in Saudi Arabia.

Ahead of next week’s Monte Carlo season opener, Hyundai headed to the south of France last week, where it faced wintry conditions to prepare for the famous asphalt stages. The team were forced to abandon Neuville’s test day last Thursday, which was rescheduled for Sunday. Fourmaux drove on Friday with Paddon logging his first miles in the i20 N Rally1 car during Saturday’s media day before jumping back behind the wheel this week at Hyundai’s new test base in France.

“We return this season with more determination and fight than ever before. Last year was a challenge, but we learnt a lot about our weaknesses and what we need to work on to up our game even more in 2026,” said Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul.

“Once again, our target is to finish the year with all three championship titles – something we know we are in a better position to achieve thanks to the maturity of the Evo car. The very focused improvements we have brought to it after a relentless and meticulous testing program, and the enhancement to our leadership team, with dedicated experienced staff are a statement of the intent of Hyundai in motorsport.

Photo by: Hyundai

“From a tactical perspective, we are returning to the setup that was successful in 2024, through a rotational third car paired with the solid performances we know we will see from Thierry and Adrien.

“With the return of Hayden, Dani and Esapekka, we are not only welcoming back skillsets and experience, but also a reinvigorated, positive team mindset that we have seen can be crucial in success through the hard times that any WRC season will throw at you! The competition will be tough from Toyota once again, but I truly believe we have what it takes to reach our targets.”