World Rally Championship chief Thierry Neuville sees Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier as his most important title rival regardless of the latter but to formally decide to the remaining rounds.
The WRC title race has a unique complexion after a Rally Finland Neuville described as a “curler coaster of feelings” that has left the Belgian with a 27-point lead within the standings.
That lead is now over eight-time world champion Ogier, who’s contesting a part-time marketing campaign this yr, which has yielded three wins and three second place finishes from his six rounds to this point.
Ogier gained final weekend’s Rally Finland claiming 24 factors [18 on Saturday, five on Super Sunday and one on the Power Stage] which helped the Frenchman climb above full-timers Toyota’s Elfyn Evans and Hyundai’s Ott Tanak within the championship standings. Evans and Tanak each left Finland empty-handed after crashes and at the moment are 36 and 31 factors behind respectively.
Ogier has been requested by Toyota to drive the remaining occasions – Greece, Chile, Central Europe and Japan – with the Frenchman, who mentioned he’s but to get a “feeling” for a ninth world title push, anticipated to decide within the subsequent two weeks.
Neuville nonetheless has sights already mounted on Ogier as his title rival.
When requested who his most important rival is after Finland, Neuville mentioned: “Quantity two, which is Mr Ogier in the mean time.
“He could not really feel it [like pushing for a title] however he has been there on the final rallies and he is combating for each single level. For certain [I’m thinking about him].”
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Group Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photograph by: Crimson Bull Content material Pool
Neuville’s Rally Finland had appeared like a injury limitation train because the Belgian struggled to seek out confidence behind the wheel of his i20 N.
Nevertheless, shock retirements for long-time chief Kalle Rovanpera and Elfyn Evans on the penultimate stage earned Neuville 24 factors, boosted by scoring eight of the 12 factors out there for Tremendous Sunday.
Regardless of the challenges he confronted along with his automotive, Neuville felt his intelligent method paid dividends within the circumstances.
“It was a pure curler coaster of feelings this weekend. We had excessive hopes, however someway we realised already in shakedown that issues weren’t working as we wish and it might be a difficult weekend, which it was,” he added.
“The efficiency wasn’t nice on a regular basis, it was a bit up and down they usually have been difficult [wet] circumstances to drive in. We understood rapidly that we needed to have a intelligent method and concentrate on bringing house necessary factors.
“Our two team-mates that crashed out on Friday gave us a number of stress as a result of the workforce desperately wanted a automotive within the factors, however we consistently managed and adjusted our method in keeping with the state of affairs.”