Thierry Neuville says the target for next week’s Rally Islas Canarias is to “make everyone proud again” after a mistake cost Hyundai a World Rally Championship win in Croatia.
Hyundai appeared on course to claim a first win of the season last weekend, with Neuville taking a lead of more than a minute into the final stage.
However, a mistake resulted in a collision with a concrete block that caused significant damage to the front right suspension of his i20 N Rally1 car.
After retiring from the rally, a devastated Neuville apologised to the Hyundai team for his error and has vowed to come back stronger after his mistake.
The 2024 world champion was back behind the wheel this week to prepare for Rally Portugal, which follows after next week’s asphalt round in the Canary Islands.
Speaking in the team's event preview for next week’s outing on the Spanish island, Neuville is determined to deliver a result to make up for his Croatia error.
“Rally Islas Canarias is probably the most straightforward tarmac event of the season in terms of road conditions – it’s the cleanest event, with the highest grip conditions of any tarmac rally we do,” said Neuville.
“The roads have a very circuit-like character set in the middle of a beautiful landscape, but they are very demanding and technical when it comes to pace notes. That is one of the main challenges here: making good pace notes that you can trust, because the corners are so long. We have worked hard on the car, trying to make it more precise while also improving the balance.
“We don't know yet what we will be able to achieve in terms of results, but if everyone gives their absolute best and we bring the car home, we can be satisfied. Of course we want to deliver a strong result for the team after last weekend, and we will push hard to make everyone proud again.”
The Canary Islands' smooth asphalt roads have proven a challenge for Hyundai to master. Last year, the Korean squad found itself on the end of a heavy defeat from Toyota, which scored a 1-2-3-4, headed by Kalle Rovanpera.
However, Hyundai showed signs of progress on asphalt in Croatia, and while expectations are realistic for the Canary Islands, the team is adopting a “no stone unturned” approach.
“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,” said Hyundai sporting director Andrew Wheatley.
“But Croatia is now in the history books – we are eyes forward to the next event, Rally Islas Canarias. 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.
“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.
“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.”
Hyundai will welcome three-time WRC rally winner Dani Sordo back to the team, as the Spaniard takes over the third factory i20 N Rally car next week.
