Dani Sordo returns to Rally1, the best of the rest behind the Toyotas

The smile was there at the end of the first loop of the day. Dani Sordo, who hadn't competed in a round of the WRC Having competed in Rally1 since his second place at the Acropolis Rally in 2024, he found his form faster than expected on the Gran Canaria asphalt. Sixth overall after the fourth special stage, he is currently the best of the non-Rally1 drivers.Toyota behind a quintuple of Japanese arrows — a performance he himself describes as encouraging in light of his long absence: “Honestly, I had a good feeling with the car from the start and we found a good setup. Before this rallyWe did a short rally in Spain and some testing. I'm quite happy with the car. So, it was a good return to training, even if the Spaniard remains grounded in the face of the magnitude of the challenge.

Because Sordo is under no illusions about the situation of Hyundai on this surface. The gap with Toyota is real, and he analyzes it with the clarity of an experienced driver: “We need a bit more potential, but I also think the others aren’t completely satisfied with their cars. The problem on asphalt is that if you don’t have confidence in your car, if you don’t have a good setup and you don’t trust the front end, it’s difficult to set fast times.” A diagnosis that echoes the difficulties experienced by Thierry Neuville et Adrien fourmauxThey too were lagging behind the Toyotas at the start of this weekend.

A role of both developer and pilot

Beyond his own result, Dani Sordo takes on a role this weekend that goes beyond that of a simple driver. With his experience and knowledge of the car, he can provide valuable data to the engineers to help the entire team improve on this type of surface: "I hope I can help them a little to find a good setup with the engineers, and that the three of us can be roughly on the same pace." A collective contribution that makes perfect sense in the current context, where Hyundai is seeking to close its performance gap.

Regarding the pleasure of riding, the Spanish rider nevertheless offers a more nuanced perspective: "Of course I'm making the most of it, because I have to enjoy this year here. But if you're not setting good lap times, you're not having any fun. You can be here for five years, but going up against the Toyotas on asphalt like this would be difficult." A clear message: satisfaction is not in the simple act of riding, but in performance.

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