Hankook gets the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship off to a spectacular start

The FIA World Rally Championship kicked off the 2026 season with five entertaining and varied events. As exclusive tyre partner, Hankook emphatically demonstrated the performance of its tyres under extremely diverse conditions. From the ice and snow of Monte-Carlo and Sweden, to the hard gravel routes of Kenya, then on to the demanding asphalt stages in Croatia and Gran Canaria, the Hankook rally tyres impressed with consistent grip, a high degree of stability, and strong adaptability.

Sweden’s Oliver Solberg won the season opener, the Rally Monte-Carlo. In doing so, he made history as the youngest winner of the iconic event. In Sweden, it was Elfyn Evans from Great Britain who came out on top, before Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta claimed two historic victories in Kenya and Croatia, which also saw him lead the world championship for a while. Record world champion Sébastien Ogier from France registered his first win of the season at round five on Gran Canaria.

Hankook supported the drivers with reliable performance on all surfaces. In doing so, it contributed to some thrilling rallying, with no fewer than four different winners in the early stages of the championship. After five of 14 races, Evans tops the table with 101 points, just ahead of Katsuta on 99. Next up is the Vodafone Rally de Portugal from 7th to 10th May.

Formula E and Hankook produce thrilling races in the first half of the season 

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship began the 2025/2026 season with spectacular races on four continents. The opening round in São Paulo saw British Andretti driver Jake Dennis come out on top after an eventful conclusion, eventually converting pole position into victory. The Hankook iON Race impressed at the demanding street circuit in Brazil, continuing to deliver a consistent performance right through to the deciding sprint, even after the race had been red flagged. In Mexico City, New Zealand’s Nick Cassidy claimed his first Formula E win for Citroën, working his way through from the rear of the field with some efficient energy management. The following race in Miami, USA, took place in unsettled conditions, which really put the drivers through their paces. In the end, Cassidy’s compatriot Mitch Evans pulled off a determined overtaking manoeuvre to move to the front of the field, before going on to take the win. The winner was always able to rely on the Hankook tyre for excellent grip on the wet track.

The streets of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia hosted two races. The first of these was won by Pascal Wehrlein in a Porsche. The German, starting his 100th Formula E race, triumphed thanks to a perfect strategy and the total reliability of the Hankook iON Race. One day later, Portugal’s António Félix da Costa hit back with victory in a Jaguar. He then continued his winning run at the inaugural race at the permanent circuit in Jarama in Spain.

This was followed by another double-header, the Hankook Berlin E-Prix at the Tempelhof Airport Circuit, where Switzerland’s Nico Müller celebrated his first Formula E victory in a Porsche, presenting the German manufacturer with a special moment at its home event. Evans then emerged victorious in race two, claiming his 16th win to become the most successful driver in the history of the series. Eight races into the season, Wehrlein leads the overall standings with 101 points, closely followed by Evans on 98 and Swiss racer Edoardo Mortara with 93 points in a Mahindra. The number of different winners in this season’s races so far is emphatic proof of how evenly matched the teams and drivers are in ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. With its consistent grip level and high degree of efficiency on different track types, the Hankook iON Race provides an important basis for exciting battles and close title races in this prestigious world championship.

Highlights Sao Paulo: https://youtu.be/jnsqI4iI9AY?is=I550dJRE0VWamdcS 
Highlights Mexico: https://youtu.be/bdHyBEF3kj8?is=nWbGwukL6bbgOFd 
Highlights Miami: https://youtu.be/jkspNxAeMVU?is=hQvx21kY7-sLkFPL 
Highlights Jeddah 1: https://youtu.be/jwpg3og0gYU?is=puF558b_xAyUt-1f 
Highlights Jeddah 2: https://youtu.be/_DnV0KZIffk?is=GWublNXlIXGyUyhb 
Highlights Madrid: https://youtu.be/WtxHvnYY9I4?is=0E5i11J_ywQMTOiK 
Highlights Berlin 1: https://youtu.be/hbyqilr8JsM?si=z6Ucoz5uMs8Lhn0f 
Highlights Berlin 2: https://youtu.be/-Kl5fYG9yvM?si=rYBAAVsSFzR44jny

Spectacular start to Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe in Le Castellet

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe kicked off its fourth season with the Hankook Ventus Race at Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France from 10th to 12th April. The tyres provided the drivers with a consistent level of grip throughout both 50-minute races. The first race of the championship saw the Italian duo of Benedetto Strignano and Nicholas Pujatti cross the finish line first, having snatched the lead in the closing stages. Victory in the Sunday race went to Switzerland’s Kevin Gilardoni and Italian Simone Iaquinta. Iaquinta was behind the wheel at the start of the race, and soon brought the Hankook tyre up to the ideal temperature, allowing him to take the lead after just a few laps. He was replaced in the cockpit by Gilardoni, who determinedly defended first place through to the finish. After second place in the opening race of the season, and victory in race two on the Sunday, Gilardoni and Iaquinta are the early championship leaders, with Strignano and Pujatti just one point back. Round two of this high-class one-make cup, which is run exclusively on Hankook tyres, takes the protagonists to Imola from 9th to 10th May.

Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpcT5eTrDu0 
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQSGunccAyU 

Imberti enjoys perfect start to the TCR Italy season in Imola

Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola hosted the opening round of this season’s TCR Italy. Michele Imberti from Italy kicked off proceedings with a flawless weekend, winning two races in the Hyundai Elantra N. Starting race one from pole position, the local favourite took an early lead and then controlled the race through to the finish. The Hankook Ventus Race supported him with a constantly high grip level and consistent performance over the full distance. Italians Denis Babuin and Matteo Poloni completed the podium.

Imberti was the standout performer again in race two. Having started from seventh on the grid, he used the reliable performance of the Hankook tyre to continuously work his way through the field, before eventually taking the lead on the final lap. Imberti claimed his second victory of the weekend, ahead of Babuin and Carlo Alberto Bocca from Italy.

Imberti leads the overall standings with 95 points after the season opener. The next TCR Italy event takes place from 22nd to 24th May in Vallelunga.

Hankook enjoys successful start to German Rally Championship as new exclusive partner

The German Rally Championship (DRM) and Hankook have joined forces in 2026. As exclusive tyre partner of the FIA World Rally Championship, the premium tyre maker is now also involved in the DRM, in which it exclusively provides tyres to the top class – RC2 – and the RC4 category for front and rear-wheel drive cars. In addition, Hankook is also providing special incentives with non-cash prizes: following each event, the top three in both classes will receive six, four or two tyres, depending on where they finish.

The first joint outing took place on 27th and 28th March at the ADAC Rallye Erzgebirge in Stollberg. Philip Geipel and co-driver Jennifer Lerch (both Germany) produced a strong display in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, with Geipel claiming his third victory at the event, which is steeped in history. Having led on Friday evening, the duo steadily extended their advantage on Saturday, taking advantage of the ideal grip provided by the Hankook tyre. After twelve special stages, Geipel and Lerch took victory by a comfortable 52.6 seconds. 

The second race of the season, the ADAC Actronics Rallye Sulingen, was won in commanding fashion by the German pairing of Marijan Griebel and co-driver Ella Kremer in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. After losing the lead briefly on the Saturday morning, the duo hit back on the marquee stage, Eickhofer Heide, where the Hankook rally tyre provided the stability required for them to extend their lead to more than 40 seconds. The DRM returns to action from 1st to 2nd August with the ADAC Rallye Mittelrhein in the Rhineland-Palatinate.

Action reel from the ADAC Rallye Erzgebirge: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWvjq9_jaPY/ 

Highlights of the ADAC Actronics Rallye Sulingen: https://www.instagram.com/p/DXkHI1rDeSw/ 

Hankook enjoys successful start to the season in the Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring

The new season in the Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring (RCN) kicked off with a full field of 165 cars and perfect spring weather, with temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius. Conditions were ideal for the “Preis der Schlossstadt Brühl”, and the Hankook Ventus Race offered all the competitors an optimal grip level at one of the most demanding racetracks in the world. The season opener saw the drivers completed almost 400 kilometres on the combination of the Grand Prix circuit and the Nordschleife. In the end, Schmickler Performance celebrated an outstanding one-two. Supported by the Hankook tyre, the German pair of Michael Luther and Markus Schmickler came out on top, ahead of their compatriots Rolf Ludwig Becker and Stefan Schmickler in a Porsche Cayman GT4 CS. Victory in the R4 class, with a strong field of 20 cars, went to Germans Jens Schneider and Robin Reimer in a BMW 325i. That was sufficient to put them at the top of the table after the season opener. The drivers are back in action on 14th May, where they line up in front of a big crowd as part of the support programme for the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.

Zandvoort hosts thrilling season opener in the Supercar Challenge powered by Hankook

The Supercar Challenge powered by Hankook got the new season up and running from 17th to 19th April at Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands, where spectators at the iconic racetrack in the dunes on the North Sea coast were treated to some thrilling motorsport. The opening race took place in changing conditions, with the drivers initially faced with a damp track, before the surface started to dry out in the second half of the race. Throughout all this, the racers received optimal support from the Hankook Ventus Race. Dutchman Marlon Birdsall took advantage of the consistent grip level of the Hankook tyre, kicking off the season with victory in a BMW M6 GT3.

The second and third races of the season saw the drivers battling it out in dry conditions and sunshine. Mitchell van Dijk from the Netherlands came out on top in race two. Birdsall continued his fine form in the endurance race to take his second victory of the weekend in consistent conditions.

The successful start to the season underlined the versatility of the Hankook tyre, which impressed with reliable performance both on a damp track and in dry conditions. The next event takes the Supercar Challenge powered by Hankook to the Ardennes rollercoaster at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) from 29th to 31st May.

Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zbdgSc_ijU 
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKl-PvwZNGI 
Full replay of race 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OvLpqw6MjU 

Here’s where you’ll see Hankook race tyres in action:

Photo credits: (1) Lamborghini/Eros Maggi, (2) Red Bull Content Pool, (3) Formula E, (4) Lamborghini/Eros Maggi, (5) TCR Italy, (6) DRM/Sascha Dörrenbächer, (7) RCN, (8) Supercar Challenge