What a "payback" WRC victory means to Thierry Neuville and Hyundai

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Thierry Neuville says victory in Portugal was personal ”revenge” for letting Hyundai down after a final stage mistake in Croatia cost the team a first World Rally Championship win of 2026.

This weekend the 2024 world champion found himself in a similar position to that of a month ago in Croatia, leading into the final stage.

Neuville had been locked in the victory hunt all week in Portugal, but was handed a golden opportunity to end Hyundai’s victory drought when Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier surrendered the lead after picking up a puncture in the penultimate stage.

In contrast to Croatia, Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe successfully completed the final stage in Portugal to claim a first win for Hyundai since the pair triumphed at last year’s Saudi Arabia season finale in November.

A 23rd WRC win for Neuville, who is now tied with four-time world champion Juha Kankkunen, was visibly emotional at the finish after suffering such a low in Croatia. But the significance of the victory was much more than just personal payback to the team.

“Personally it is a bit of revenge. I gave back what I should have given to the team in Croatia for sure,” Neuville told Motorsport.com.

“But more than the victory, which is definitely very important for the team as they desperately needed it, I think to see that the performance was there throughout the weekend was probably the most encouraging thing to see that we can fight at the top level.

“I was able to manage my race a bit too and that is the key. If you want to win rallies you need to be able to build your weekend and manage your weekend. You can only do that if the car works and the confidence is there otherwise it is just not possible.”

Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1