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Key Insights and Excitement Ahead of WRC Rally Sardinia

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Highlights

  • Elfyn Evans leads WRC standings, 30 points ahead of Kalle Rovanpera.
  • Hyundai aims for first win, strong history at Rally Sardinia.
  • Heat expected near 32°C, with intense cockpit temperatures forecasted.
  • Toyota faces tough road conditions as early starters clear loose gravel.
  • M-Sport updates Ford Puma Rally1 cars with new performance dampers.
  • Rally Sardinia features new stages and challenging, unpredictable gravel surfaces.

WRC Rally Sardinia stands out as one of the roughest and most challenging rallies on the World Rally Championship schedule. This year’s event arrives just as the title race is reaching its midpoint.

Leading the standings, Elfyn Evans holds a narrow 30-point gap over his Toyota teammate Kalle Rovanpera, with Sebastien Ogier, also driving for Toyota, in third place. Despite Toyota’s strong form in 2025, Hyundai is determined to break their streak and secure its first win of the season.

Hyundai’s lineup, with world champion Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak, starts this weekend just behind the leading Toyota drivers, making for an exciting contest. Hyundai arrives in Sardinia knowing this rally has been a stronghold, having lost just twice at the event since 2016.

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Portugal brought Hyundai some momentum last month. Ott Tanak led most of the rally, only to lose out due to a late power steering problem.

Both Neuville and Tanak have scored three Sardinia wins each, adding to Hyundai’s hopes for victory. Hyundai’s team principal, Cyril Abiteboul, admitted there’s a lot of pressure on the squad, given both the positive results in previous years and a tough start to this season.

The drivers want to win, but they are aware Sardinia can be unpredictable, with rough stages and sharp rocks waiting to catch out anyone pushing hard. This year, the event brings new challenges with unfamiliar stages and a gravel surface that differs greatly from Portugal.

Tanak said the unique terrain makes it tough to predict how the rally will unfold. Adrien Fourmaux, who drives for M-Sport but joins Hyundai’s leading pack in the starting order, added that the narrow stages make every rock a potential hazard.

Fourmaux is aiming to take full advantage of his starting position and hopes to be among the leaders by the end of Friday. Toyota, on the other hand, faces its own difficulties.

With Evans, Rovanpera, and Ogier all in the top three of the championship, they must start ahead, dealing with the worst road conditions. Early starters have to clear the loose gravel for the cars behind them, making it harder to set quick times.

However, Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari will start further down, possibly benefiting if others clear the road. Evans expects a tough weekend but believes tweaks made to the GR Yaris may help.

Ogier, who won from first on the road in 2021 and missed victory last year by only 0.2 seconds, brings experience and optimism, even as he acknowledges the difficulty. Heat is always a factor in Sardinia.

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Forecasts show temperatures peaking at 32 degrees Celsius, lower than recent years but hot enough to make conditions inside the cars punishing. Drivers and teams will get midday service breaks, unlike the last round in Portugal, but cabin temperatures could reach 70 degrees.

Tanak and Evans both expect a tough physical test. The heat is so intense that Toyota has switched to a silver livery for its GR Yaris to reflect the sun and reduce cockpit temperatures.

M-Sport comes to Sardinia with hopes of closing the gap to the leaders. The team has given its four Ford Puma Rally1 cars new dampers to improve performance.

These updated dampers allow teams to find better grip and reliability without needing to use their restricted homologation changes. Team principal Richard Millener said the goal is to help drivers get more confident behind the wheel and understand how the tires work on the unique Sardinian gravel.

With new stages, tough conditions, and pressure mounting on all the factory teams, this year’s Rally Sardinia promises plenty of drama. The event could shake up the championship as teams chase points and drivers look to make their mark in one of the most demanding rounds of the season.

All eyes will be on whether Hyundai can overturn Toyota’s early-season form or if another surprise lies in store on the island’s rugged roads.

* The featured image is not a real photograph — it was created using AI.
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Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.

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