Story byMotorsport photoTom HowardFri, February 13, 2026 at 2:50 PM UTC·3 min readThierry Neuville described his current World Rally Championship struggles as the ‘hardest time of his career so far’ following a difficult morning at Rally Sweden. The 2024 champion has been struggling for confidence behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20 N Rally 1 this season, with his struggles from last month’s opening round in Monte Carlo continuing in Sweden. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEven after topping Thursday’s shakedown, the Belgian again repeated that he felt "something is missing to be confident”, and on Friday he went as far as saying that this current period is the hardest of his career to date. Neuville ended the morning loop of stages sitting seventh overall, 1m37.4s behind rally leader Toyota’s Elfyn Evans. Neuville’s struggles with the balance of his car were compounded by a run into a snowbank in stage three that cost him more than a minute.“Generally, it was ok but I’m really fighting the balance,” said Neuville at the end of stage four. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“It is not a surprise to be honest it is disturbing a lot, and it makes it very challenging. We are losing a bit of time now, but the rally is still long so we will keep working and we will see.”Thierry Neuville, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1Thierry Neuville, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1When asked about the direction the team can take with the car in the midday service, he added: “It is tough.