Hyundai Motorsport still on top after tough Rally Chile

Hyundai Motorsport ended an intense Rally Chile with Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja securing third place after 16 gruelling and unpredictable stages, and the team still on top in the manufacturers' standings of the 2024 World Rally Championship.

Thierry Neuville, who ended in 4th place Sunday with his co-driver Martin Wydaeghe, also maintainsthe top position in the drivers' championship, with Tänak in second spot behind him.

The final day of Rally Chile offered little respite, with the foggy and damp conditions from late Saturday continuing across Sunday. Tyre management was critical, with no service or tyre fitting zone splitting the attempts of special stages Laraquete (SS13/15, 18,62km) and Bio Bio (SS14/16, 8,78km).

Tänak's third-place finish marked his fifth podium of the 2024 season and his 21st with Hyundai Motorsport. The Estonian was toe-to-toe with Elfyn Evans for the rally lead on Friday before a small mistake on Saturday saw him drop to third place. With the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid struggling to match the pace of others, Tänak focused on confirming the points he had scored on Saturday. Two top-three stage times on both runs of Bio Bio secured fourth place in the Super Sunday standings and 20 points from Rally Chile, extending his lead over Sébastien Ogier in third.

It was a similar story for Thierry Neuville, who looked to consolidate his lead of the drivers' championship. A top-three finish on SS15 Laraquete 2 and fourth place on the Power Stage saw the Belgian crew finish fifth in the Super Sunday fight. Neuville and Wydaeghe depart Chile with 15 points and a lead of 29 to their Estonian team-mates in the standings.

While Esapekka Lappi's day began positively with the fourth fastest time on SS13 Laraquete 1, his troublesome weekend ended on the repeat of the Laraquete stage when their car's front bumper came off after contact with the gravel road. The damage forced the team to retire his car for the weekend prior to the Power Stage.

It was a bittersweet ending to Lappi's partnership with co-driver Janne Ferm, who has retired from topflight rallying following Rally Chile. Hyundai Motorsport extends its thanks to Ferm for his contribution to the team's success in WRC, including a memorable victory at Rally Sweden in February and three podiums in 2023, and wishes him well for his future endeavours.

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team continues to lead the manufacturers' championship, however after a difficult weekend the gap has narrowed to 17 points. The WRC now turns to tarmac for the final two rounds of the 2024 season, where the team looks to replicate its strong results from Rallye Monte-Carlo and Croatia Rally.

Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja

Tänak said:"It is difficult to take many positives form this weekend; we were a bit lucky that Ogier hit trouble on Friday but other than that, there was nothing we could do to take the fight to the Toyotas. We gave Rally Chile our maximum and scored everything we could. Now we go to two tarmac rallies and in normal circumstances our road position should be good for us. The fight for the manufacturers' title is not over yet, but we need to work hard for it."

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe

Neuville said:"A tough weekend for us, made more challenging by the weather conditions. Since Saturday, things started to go a bit better in terms of set-up and the profile of the stages, which gave us a bit more confidence and a decent rhythm. There was no need to take big risks, we just managed our result. We tried to push a bit more in the Power Stage but we had fog for a couple of corners that cost us important seconds and a few points."

Crew Notes: Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (#4 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)

Lappi said:"This has not been our weekend. Today was much more challenging in terms of conditions with the overnight rain and low cloud affecting visibility. There was some light at the end of the tunnel but our task was to attack today and try to mix up the points, but we failed to do that. Finally, I need to thank Janne for 15 seasons together. We were both rookies when we started and we climbed up the hill to be professionals together, and now this journey comes to an end."

Hyundai Motorsport President and team principal Cyril Abiteboul said: "This has been a very difficult rally for us, and a complete contrast to where we were at Acropolis Rally earlier this month. We didn't have the package to win this weekend, and so we focused on the championship battles and avoiding the pitfalls we saw over the weekend. In that respect, it is mission accomplished, but we depart Chile with the gap we had built in the manufacturers' standings now halved.

"On a final note, I would like to extend my congratulations to Janne on a fantastic career in rallying, and wish him all the best in his 'retirement'. He is a character like no other and he will be dearly missed by everyone in the team."

Next rally

The championship returns to tarmac for the final two events of the 2024 season, starting with the Central European Rally from 17 to 20 October.

Andreas Mikkelsen and Torstein Eriksen will return to the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid for the cross-border competition in Czechia, Austria and Germany.

Final results Rally Chile:

Super Sunday results Rally Chile:

Manufacturers' championship standings:

Drivers' championship standings: