Thierry Neuville says he has “no clue” whether he’ll be driving in the World Rally Championship in 2027.
The Hyundai driver has competed in the WRC’s top class since 2012, winning 23 events and the world championship in 2024.
However his Hyundai team’s future beyond the current 2026 season is unclear. It will not build a brand-new WRC27 machine for next year, and is prioritising development of the existing i20 N Rally2 model rather than homologating a Kit for it.
Asked about his plans for 2027, Neuville told DirtFish: “I can be up for a full season or partial season, I have no clue at the moment. Nobody knows what will be our plan next year.
“Honestly, I’m focusing more on the second part of the season now, knowing that ‘27 is very wide open at the moment,” he added.
Neuville's immediate focus is on maximizing the second half of 2026
“I mean, there have been announcements made, but we have been desperately waiting for those announcements, but also for the [WRC] promoter still. I know that the management of Hyundai is working very closely with the stakeholders for the future and no decision has been made.
“One thing is sure, there will be no Rally1, so after that everything is probably wide open and such as it is for me.”
Neuville is the fifth most experienced driver in WRC history with 190 starts, level with 2003 world champion Petter Solberg.
He remains as competitive as ever, but would he be motivated by competing in Rally2 machinery next year? Could he be in for a change of career direction in 2027?
“I don’t know,” Neuville said. “It will depend on the opportunities I have. I hope that once the promoter is announced, we will see a bit more clear on the strategy.
“But for sure, my personal opinion on these new regulations, I’m not much in favour of it. I would have said that we should have brought all the teams to the same cars, rather than creating three different categories of cars to fight for the leader of the rally.”
