Thierry Neuville is channelling the sting of his Croatia disappointment into determination ahead of WRC Rally Islas Canarias, telling Hyundai colleagues he is eyes-forward on redemption after his devastating final-stage crash handed Takamoto Katsuta a maiden victory last weekend.
The reigning world champion had been cruising toward a first win of the 2026 season when he clipped a concrete block on Saturday's closing stage in Croatia, tearing the suspension off his i20 N Rally1 and dropping out of the points entirely. The mistake swung the championship picture, with Katsuta now carrying an unexpected lead into Round 5.
Speaking ahead of the move to the Canary Islands, Neuville insisted his focus was purely on the challenge of a rally the WRC only recently added to its calendar.
"Rally Islas Canarias is probably the most straightforward tarmac event of the season in terms of road conditions – it's the cleanest event, with the highest grip conditions of any tarmac rally we do," Neuville said.
That surface cleanliness does not equal simplicity, however. The narrow, twisting ribbons of asphalt that thread the volcanic hills of Gran Canaria are unforgiving, and pace-notes discipline is everything.
"The roads have a very circuit-like character set in the middle of a beautiful landscape, but they are very demanding and technical when it comes to pace notes," the Belgian added.
"We want to deliver a strong result for the team after last weekend, and we will push hard to make everyone proud again," Neuville said.
Hyundai sporting director Andrew Wheatley echoed the determination to close the book on Croatia quickly and focus on the inaugural Rally Islas Canarias as a championship round, having previously run as a European Rally Championship fixture.
"Croatia is now in the history books – we are eyes forward to the next event, Rally Islas Canarias," Wheatley said.
"Canary Islands is an event where we need to focus on making zero mistakes," he added, an unmistakable signal to his drivers that clean stages will matter more than outright speed on an event where every crew is effectively learning a new rally.
Hyundai heads to Spain sitting just behind Toyota in the manufacturers' standings, with the Belgian's Croatia zero proving particularly costly. Team-mate Ott Tanak converted steadily in Croatia but the loss of Neuville's near-certain 25 points leaves the Korean squad playing catch-up in both championships.
For Katsuta, the Croatia winner, the task is different: hold his first-ever championship lead with a calm head and avoid the urge to chase pace beyond his limits. The Japanese driver has long been considered a potential race-winner but the Croatia result – whatever the circumstances – has changed the conversation around his 2026 campaign.
Neuville, for his part, is betting on response. The 2024 world champion has built much of his reputation on rebounding from setbacks, and Gran Canaria now offers him a chance to do so on tarmac he has already described as the cleanest of the season. With Hyundai insisting on zero mistakes and their lead driver publicly pledging to make everyone proud again, the opening splits of Rally Islas Canarias will be watched more closely than usual.
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/neuville-canary-islands-hyundai-bounce-back-2026). Visit for full coverage.*