Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) throws away an almost certain victory in the final stage – Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) celebrates second WRC win in a row
Great drama in the Power Stage of the 2026 Rally Croatia! Thierry Neuville lost what he thought was Hyundai’s first win of the season in the final special stage. Before the final 14.56 kilometers, the former world champion had a 1:15.4-minute lead over Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota).
But Neuville made a mistake in a right-hand bend right at the start of the stage. He went too far to the outside on the left-hand side, slid down the embankment and ended up on a small path. He had to turn back, but damaged his right front suspension in the process.
There were stunned faces in the Hyundai pits. Neuville dragged himself slowly towards the finish, but the 37-year-old never made it there. He received instructions over the radio to park the car. Hyundai’s first win of the season came to nothing.
Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe tried to make a makeshift repair to the right front suspension at the side of the road. They succeeded. They eventually crossed the finish line 21 minutes behind.
This was Katsuta’s second WRC victory in a row. When he reached the finish of the Power Stage, he was still unaware of what had happened around Neuville. It was only when the first information about Neuville’s departure leaked out that he learned that he had won.
Toyota celebrated a one-two victory in the final kilometers. At the same time, second place was the best result in Sami Pajari’s WRC career. The Finn could also have won the rally. He led the overall standings from the third to the 13th stage.
Because he had to change his wheel in SS14 after a puncture, Pajari’s maiden victory slipped away. “It’s always nice to be on the podium,” said the 24-year-old. “On the other hand, I’m disappointed because we could have won here.”
Hayden Paddon (Hyundai) returned to the podium in third place. In the end, there were no more Rally1 cars in the top field. The Toyota duo of Oliver Solberg and Elfyn Evans had already lost any chance of victory due to accidents on Friday morning.
This changed the picture in the championship standings. Katsuta now leads with 81 points. Evans has dropped back to second place and is seven points behind. “A tough weekend for us,” says the Welshman. “We have to try and come back stronger at the next rally.”
Solberg is now third in the WRC and 13 points behind. “I made a mistake on Friday with the hard tires,” says Solberg, taking the accident in SS1 to his own account. On Saturday and Sunday, he set a total of ten fastest times.
“After that, our pace was good and the car was perfect. I’m really sorry for my team. Now I’m looking ahead and taking the positives from this weekend with me.” Solberg and Evans took the top two places in both the Sunday classification and the Power Stage.
The late retirement of Neuville meant that the 2024 world champion scored no WRC points at all in Croatia. Toyota already has a 65-point lead over Hyundai in the manufacturers’ standings after four rallies.
From fourth place onwards, the Rally2 field followed in Croatia. Frenchman Yohan Rossel secured the first victory for the new Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale. This heralded a new WRC chapter for the legendary rally brand.
Austrian Johannes Keferböck (Toyota Rally2) won the WRC Masters Cup classification. His co-driver was the experienced Ilka Minor, also from Austria.
The next round of the World Rally Championship will take place on the Canary Islands from April 23 to 26. The Rally Spain will also be held on asphalt.