Thierry Neuville believes his Acropolis Rally victory is a significant moment and a “big release of pressure” in his pursuit of a maiden World Rally Championship title.
Neuville clinched his second win of the season after coming through one of the most demanding events in recent WRC history where eight of the nine Rally1 cars hit trouble.
The Hyundai driver recovered from an engine issue on Friday to clinch victory and lead a 1-2-3 for Hyundai following a dramatic final stage, where his main title rival and Toyota driver Sebastian Ogier rolled.
Ogier was able to reach the stage finish after completing a quick repair on his GR Yaris to claim 13 Saturday points. But the eight-time world champion has dropped to third in the championship standings behind Ott Tanak, who now trails Neuville by 34 points with three rounds remaining.
Hyundai locked out the podium as Ogier’s accident promoted Dani Sordo to second and Tanak to third.
Reflecting on his first win since the opening round in Monte Carlo in January, Neuville told Motorsport.com: “I felt a big release of pressure. It was a demanding race, there’s no secrets you have seen it has been challenging for everybody.
“Obviously at some point since yesterday morning we were in a position where we couldn’t afford a mistake, we couldn’t afford a puncture but we just had to keep it going and it wasn’t easy, but we have made it work.
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images
“We kept very calm and I felt like I had the tools to do it and I felt comfortable in the car, there was no mistake, nothing. I was pretty sure we could do it.
“It’s a big moment, of course, if you can increase the championship lead by seven or eight points, it’s fantastic, so there’s nothing to add to that.
“It is a great weekend for the team and I’m so happy as well to see Dani and Ott on the podium with me and, it’s a good step for both championships.”
The Power Stage outlined the brutal nature of this year’s Acropolis Rally as Takamoto Katsuta, Tanak and Ogier – before his crash – all suffered punctures.
“It’s been a very hard [rally] and honestly speaking today’s Power Stage shouldn’t be the last stage of the rally. It’s destroying the cars. It’s not a stage to be honest,” added Neuville.
“We have said it already in the past. It’s getting repaired every year and it’s getting worse and worse and it has been a no-go this time.”
