Hyundai Motorsport is on a mission for more success at Rally Estonia

Following its first win of the season at Acropolis Rally, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team is aiming to add another strong finish to its tally next week at Rally Estonia (July 18-20), the eighth round of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season.

Returning to the calendar for the first time since 2023, Rally Estonia marks the first of two back-to-back fast gravel rounds, with Rally Finland following less than two weeks’ later. Featuring a loose surface, high-speed crests and twisting technical sections, this event is no easy feat for crews.

Hyundai Motorsport has previous success at the Baltic rally, first introduced to the WRC in 2020. Since then, the team has scored seven podiums – including a win for home hero Ott Tänak in its debut appearance, where he was joined on the podium by late Craig Breen in second. The series’ most recent visit to the rally also ended in a double-podium finish for Hyundai Motorsport, with Thierry Neuville clinching second spot and Esapekka Lappi following closely in third.

Estonian Tänak returns to home soil after a dominant performance in his Hyundai i20N Rally1 at the previous round, Acropolis Rally, which saw him climb from fourth to third in the drivers’ battle. Adrien Fourmaux scored a well-earned podium finish, bouncing back from a difficult outing in Rally Italia Sardegna – which team-mate Thierry Neuville hopes to emulate in Estonia after a trying weekend in Greece.

Rally Estonia is set to cover 308.35km of competitive distance over four days. Thursday morning welcomes Shakedown before the super special stage Tartu vald 1 in the evening. Staple tests such as Kambja (SS6/7, 23.74km) and Otepää (SS13/15, 11.15km), featuring one of the most famous jumps of the event, return to the itinerary, while the Power Stage is an all-new challenge in the form of Kääriku (SS19/20, 24.20km).

As Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team looks to build further momentum in the championship standings as the season moves into its second half, strong and clean weekends from its three crews will be crucial to close the gap to first. The team has undertaken testing in Finland and Estonia, as well as Tänak contesting the Lõuna-Eesti Ralli last weekend, to prepare for the event as the series transitions from the abrasive gravel of Greece to the smooth, flowing roads of Estonia.

Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said:

“Following a fantastic result in Greece, we now turn our attention to continuing that positive trajectory in Estonia and beyond. It was important to get our first win of the year at Acropolis Rally as we look to close the gap and reinvigorate our championship challenge in the second half of the season. We now move on to a different gravel profile for the next two rounds, where we will be targeting clean weekends, strong points and a continuation of our podium streak. We have to remember that this is not a surface we have historically performed well on, but with so many long days and nights put in by the whole team, it’s time for everyone’s hard work on and off the stages to come to fruition.”

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

• Estonians lie third in the championship following Acropolis Rally win
• Crew aiming for victory at home event

Tänak said: “We’ve just finished three rough rallies where we showed some strong performance. Now, we move on to a different challenge – Rally Estonia is the first of two really fast and smooth gravel rounds, which I personally enjoy because they are the type of roads I learnt to compete on. These events are purely performance based, meaning they ask a lot from the car – the gaps will be small and speeds will be high. The setup needs to be very precise and balanced, and the aerodynamic package also plays a big role. We’ve had a busy last week preparing for the rally as we need to do our best in Estonia. This is a crucial point in the championship fight, we can’t let it slip away.” 

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

• Neuville secured two podiums at Baltic event in 2021 and 2023
• Belgians looking to add to 2025 podium tally

Neuville said: “It’s been a challenging start to the season, despite trying our hardest to avoid issues, but we had a good feeling in the car in Greece and need to capitalise on that. Rally Estonia is an event with a great atmosphere, and I have finished on the podium there a few times. We need to have total trust and confidence in the car because of the fast roads and big jumps, so suspension and grip are key parts of our setup. The weather can play a part in the speeds, but it’s been mostly dry so it’s not our biggest concern. It’s important we get a strong result here; we have everything in our hands and continue to work hard, we just need a bit more luck.”

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

• French crew looking to build on the momentum gained from their Acropolis podium
• Fourmaux/Coria scored WRC2 podium in 2020

Fourmaux said: “To get a podium in our lead up to this year’s fast rallies is important for the team and great for my confidence, it’s given us the boost we need for Rally Estonia. With such high speeds at this round, we need a car with good balance and grip. Reactivity is super important, but there needs to be a balance between that and the grip on the surface. I’ve had a lot of experience there in the past in but it’s very unpredictable; the ground is softer than Finland, so if it rains it can get very rutted very quickly. Precision is essential to not get caught out here. We need to bring back some good points for the team, and our aim for the end of the weekend is to finish on the podium once again.”

Weekend at a Glance

• Competition gets underway on Thursday evening with the weekend’s first loop of Tartu vald (SS1/17, 1.76km)
• Seven stages are set to be run on Friday: two loops of Peipsiääre (SS2/4, 24.35km), Mustvee (SS3/5, 11.37km) and Kambja (SS6/7, 23.74km) are joined by one run of Elva linn (SS8, 1.72km)
• Saturday presents the longest day of the weekend, featuring four tests run twice, followed by the final run of Tartu vald, covering 125.76km
• Three stages finalise the weekend’s competitive action on Sunday: a solo Hellenurme (SS18, 11.79km) and two loops of Kääriku (SS19/20, 24.20km)