WRC 2020 Rally Italy: Sordo and Neuville secure a Hyundai 1-2 finish

To give you an idea about just how close 2020 Rally Italy was, the top three podium places were covered within 6.1 seconds, the smallest margin ever in WRC history. 

Hyundai's reserve pairing – Dani Sordo and Carlos Del Barrio – driving only their second WRC rally this year, emerged victorious in Italy and claimed their second consecutive Rally Italy title. The duo was able to fend off a supreme attack from Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville and Toyota driver Sebastien Ogier, who finished second and third, respectively. Despite Sordo starting the final day with a lead of 27.4 seconds over Ogier, the top three finishers were within 6.1 seconds in total, making it one of the closest finishes in WRC history. Behind Ogier, his Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans managed to finish fourth, followed by Ford's Teemu Suninen in fifth. Affected by an undisclosed technical failure on the first day, the third Hyundai driver, Ott Tanak, was restricted to sixth place overall.

In the points battle, Evans still sits on top of the leaderboard with 111 points, 14 points clear off teammate Ogier. Further behind Ogier by 10 points, Hyundai's Neuville rounds off the top three. Thanks to the final Wolf Power Stage win, Neuville's teammate Tanak managed to salvage some crucial points and as a result, sits in fourth place with 83 points, just four points behind Neuville. Therefore, with just two more rounds left in the season, the fight for the championship title looks like a four-way battle at the moment.

After Italy, Hyundai (208 points) has managed to pull a slim lead over defending champion Toyota (201 points) to take the top spot in the constructor's championship.

Read more:

WRC 2020 Rally Turkey: Toyota's Elfyn Evans scores a dramatic win

WRC 2019: Dramatic victory for Dani Sordo & Carlos Del Barrio in Rally Italia Sardegna