Hyundai Motorsport has confirmed a five-crew line-up for the 2026 World Rally Championship (WRC), opting for proven experience as it rebuilds its line-up following Ott Tänak’s decision to step away from the WRC.
Team leaders Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux will contest every round from January’s Rallye Monte-Carlo to the season finale in Saudi Arabia. They will be supported by a rotating trio of experienced drivers sharing the third Hyundai i20 N Rally1: Dani Sordo, Esapekka Lappi, and Hayden Paddon. Effectively, with Ott Tänak stepping away from the WRC, the team has filled his seat with three part-time drivers.
While Neuville had already confirmed he would stay with Hyundai for 2026, the team has now also formally announced, as expected, that Adrien Fourmaux will remain for a second full-time season.
Neuville & Fourmaux full-time, Sordo, Lappi and Paddon part-time
Sordo and Lappi both completed part-programmes in 2024, while Paddon – though absent from the WRC since 2018 – has remained highly active and successful at Rally2 level. Between them, the three part-timers bring six WRC victories and deep knowledge of top-flight competition.
Sordo arrives fresh from winning the Portuguese national title in an i20 N Rally2. The Spaniard will begin his 2026 WRC campaign at Rally Islas Canarias. “Cándido [Carrera, co-driver] and I had a strong season in the Hyundai i20 N Rally2, culminating in the Portuguese title, which was a fantastic achievement for us. We can’t wait to take this momentum into next year, and I am confident we will be a competitive package,” Sordo said.
Lappi, with 2024 WRC2 co-drivers’ champion Enni Mälkönen alongside him, stormed to the Finnish title this year driving a Rally2 Skoda. Their first WRC appearance as a duo will be at Rally Sweden – the event where Lappi famously returned to the top step in 2024. “I assumed I was finished with WRC, but after numerous discussions with various people, I knew this was a great idea,” Lappi said.
Paddon remained closely tied to Hyundai, winning multiple national titles as well as back-to-back European Rally Championship titles in 2023 and 2024 with the i20 N Rally2. The New Zealander, whose WRC highlights include victory at Rally Argentina in 2016, will open their programme at Monte-Carlo. “I’m very excited to be back with Hyundai Motorsport, eight years after our last event together in the FIA WRC. Hyundai is a brand I’m very proud of and loyal to after 12 years, and to now be stepping into a Rally1 car is very exciting,” Paddon said.
Wheatley: ‘Bringing in Dani, EP and Hayden enables us to call upon their individual strengths to support our manufacturers’ title ambitions’
Hyundai Motorsport WRC Sporting Director Andrew Wheatley said: “We’re delighted to confirm our line-up for the 2026 FIA WRC season, which will see Thierry and Adrien compete in every round with a trio of very experienced and competitive crews sharing our third entry.
“Bringing in Dani, EP and Hayden enables us to call upon their individual strengths to support our manufacturers’ title ambitions next year. We had a difficult decision to make – whether to opt for experience and consistency, or bring in a rising star and nurture them. However, we are in the last year of the Rally1 technical regulations and we believe the right path is to bring in drivers with knowledge of the car and the team.”
Photos: Hyundai Motorsport
