Hyundai to reset and refocus for WRC Rally Islas Canarias after Croatia heartbreak
22nd April 2026Hyundai is set to ‘reset and re-focus’ ahead of Rally Islas Canarias as the team look to bounce back from their sure-victory in Croatia that slipped away.
Feature image credit: Jaanus Ree // Red Bull Content Pool
South Korea’s marquee, Hyundai, enters the upcoming World Rally Championship event wounded from their certain victory in Croatia, which slipped from their grasp at the last moment, with their 2024 world champion, Thierry Neuville, going off the road.
In the power stage, Neuville had over a minute in hand over Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta and looked set to take his and the team’s first victory in 2026.
However, the Belgian suffered understeer heading out of a right-hand corner and opted to take the escape road. After hitting concrete on the edge of the road, the 2024 world champion’s right suspension broke as he looked to turn around, and he eventually stopped on the road.
It meant that Katsuta claimed his second back-to-back victory in Croatia, after the Japanese driver took his maiden win in Kenya, the event before.
Ahead of the Rally Islas Canarias, Hyundai’s WRC Sporting Director, Andrew Wheatley said:
“There is no question that Croatia was a disappointment, in part because it was not an event that we had targeted as being competitive, so to have two cars fighting for the podium was great. But Croatia is now in the history books – we are eyes forward to the next event, Rally Islas Canaries.
“Everyone in the team knows that to beat our competitors we have to take every possible advantage and so we need to reset, re-focus and make sure we come back ready to give the best possible performance again.”
Whilst Hyundai will be looking to refocus for the upcoming WRC round, to right their wrong of Croatia, the rally will not be a walk in the park. Grip may be high thanks to the high temperatures and volcanic asphalt, but the stages provide little room for error with Armco barriers on one side and rock faces on the other.
The team has confirmed they need to make ‘zero mistakes’ as they look to put themselves in a position to fight for the rally podium, or even a victory if the circumstances are right.
“Canary Islands is an event where we need to focus on making zero mistakes – we can put ourselves in the best chance to fight for the podium on Sunday afternoon if we optimise everything,” Wheatley continued. “We will leave no stone unturned to make sure we cover every base during our preparation.
“That way, we can take advantage of any small issues or challenges that may arise for our competitors. We saw in Croatia that we have the speed to fight with Taka and Sami, and we are confident that the recent revisions from testing will help us to continue chasing the top step of the podium.”
Read more WRC here:
- Katsuta jokes to get ‘tips’ from Rovanpera ahead of WRC Rally Islas Canarias
- Rally Islas Canarias Weather 2026: Full WRC Weekend Forecast
- Takamoto Katsuta takes back-to-back wins with surprise Croatia Rally victory
- Thierry Neuville maintains lead with Power Stage separating Croatia victory
- Thierry Neuville takes rally lead from Pajari in Croatia
- What is the WRC Croatia Rally stage itinerary?
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
