Heading to South America with the aim of closing the gap to championship rivals with an unyielding performance

Eager to bounce back after a challenging Rally Finland, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team turns its attention to the unknowns of Rally del Paraguay, the tenth round of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).

The event makes its WRC debut after several years in the CODASUR South American Rally Championship. Stages in the Itapúa region, close to the Argentinian border, mix soft, fast gravel with unpredictable grip levels. Heavy dust and sudden rain showers can quickly change conditions, demanding precision and adaptability from crews.

Hyundai Motorsport is no stranger to success on South American soil. At Rally Chile, the team has claimed three podiums in 2019, 2023 and 2024, while at Rally Argentina its crews have scored three victories and six podiums between 2016-2019.

The inaugural Rally del Paraguay itinerary spans four days, 19 stages and 333.18km of competitive distance. Key challenges include the marathon Yerbateras (SS3/7, 30.00km) and the scenic Bella Vista (SS16/18, 21.25km). The event’s unique red gravel roads will truly test crews, who will need to get up to speed quickly with the nuances and pitfalls of Paraguay.

Despite the challenging finish in Finland, the team’s early rally-winning pace showed the potential of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 on gravel. That speed, combined with the crews’ adaptability, will be important in tackling Paraguay’s untested stages. The team is confident its road positions on Friday will allow its crews to extract the full potential of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 as it targets a return to the podium.

Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said:

“This is a pivotal point in the season. Finland was a tough weekend for the whole team, but it’s time for us to turn that disappointment into determination as we head to Rally del Paraguay. It’s a brand-new event for the whole Service Park, so while we are all starting from scratch, we need to quickly get up to speed and put ourselves on the front foot. We know the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 can perform well on this surface, but the soft, red gravel provides a distinctive challenge. With only five rounds of the season remaining, we have to do everything we can as a team to leave Paraguay with as many points as possible for both championships.”

Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)

• Estonians ready to replicate podium success of Portugal, Sardinia and Greece
• Crew sits fourth in championship standings

Tänak said: “It’s always exciting to go to brand-new events, but it’s difficult to predict how the weekend will play out. It’s a great challenge for all of us in the team, and if we can pull off a good result, it’s always rewarding. We go to Rally del Paraguay with a blank sheet of paper, so the recce is the first time we can really try to understand what the rally will be like. It’s a lot of work with all the new notes, car setup and preparation. Everyone in the team will always throw themselves into whatever is needed, particularly when it’s a level playing field for everyone. Good points are essential for us in Paraguay, and we will push for that result.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#1 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)

• Neuville takes solid South American experience into Paraguay debut
• Belgians looking for fourth top-three finish of 2025

Neuville said: “South America has always been a great place for the WRC to visit, and we all hope to see lots of fans on the stages in Paraguay. We don’t have any testing for the event, so we have been studying the footage shared by the event organisers and speaking to locals to get a feel of the stages. We can really start to refine the car setup after the recce when we know a bit more about the grip levels and our pacenotes. It’s a huge unknown for all of us, but a new challenge is exciting for us and the championship. We need to optimise the weekend to ensure we get some strong points.” 

Crew Notes: Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (#16 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)

• French crew has only contested one other South American rally – Chile 2024
• Sights set on first podium since Greece in June

Fourmaux said: “We don’t know too much about what to expect at Rally del Paraguay, but I do know that the fans are really committed. In preparation, we’ve already started to analyse some of the stages through videos to maximise the information that we can get, and when we get to Paraguay we will get some more information from the locals. Across South America, the surfaces are really interchangeable, so the profile is unknown to all of us. Our pacenotes start as a blank piece of paper, and we can only really perfect them after we have been on the stages. I’m usually more competitive on new rallies, and I know that we can target the podium in Paraguay.”

Weekend at a Glance

• Action begins on Friday with two loops of Cambyretá (SS1/5, 18.70km), Nueva Alborada (SS2/6, 19.25km), Yerbateras (SS3/7, 30.00km) and Autódromo (SS4/8/12, 2.50km)
• Seven stages grace Saturday’s itinerary: two loops of Carmen del Paraná (SS9/13, 18.67km), Artigas (SS10/14, 22.73km), Cantera (SS11/15, 13.74km) and Autódromo
• Sunday concludes with two loops of Bella Vista (SS16/18, 21.25km) and Misión Jesuitica Trinidad (SS17/19, 18.50km).