Neuville regrets the end of his duel with Mikkelsen in Australia

Thierry Neuville will have the opportunity to achieve a fourth victory this season at the Rally d’Australie. Le pilote Hyundai dispose de 20 secondes d’avance sur Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota) avant la dernière étape, après avoir fait le trou dans le second passage de la deuxième journée et avoir profité de l’abandon de son coéquipier Andreas Mikkelsen qui était en tête de l’épreuve.

“It’s a good feeling to be at the front of the rally going into the final day, recognizes Thierry Neuville. Obviously, the event is still far from over, but I was satisfied with our approach today in the face of complicated stages. Our pace was generally good and we still won some stages. »

“I am nevertheless disappointed that the fight with Andreas did not continue after his retirement this morning, admits the Belgian. It hasn't been a completely worry-free day for us. I made a mistake in the Newry stage (SS 10) by going straight into a corner, but fortunately we didn't lose too much time. Something broke in the gearbox but it was repaired by service. The second pass went as planned and we were able to build a good lead. This is not yet a comfortable lead and the weather could still play tricks on us. »

Andreas Mikkelsen is obviously disappointed to miss the opportunity to take his first victory with Hyundai. The Norwegian suffered a double puncture in Newry and had to retire as he only had a spare wheel. He will start again tomorrow in Rally 2.

" I am very disappointed, admits the Scandinavian. It would have been fantastic to end the season with a victory, but my chances were gone because of a mistake on my part. In a right turn on a crest two kilometers after the start, I went wide and hit an embankment quite hard. I thought I only had a rear puncture, but it turned out I also had a front puncture. It was over with just one spare wheel. It’s still great to see Thierry taking the lead and we’re keeping our fingers crossed for him. »

Hayden Paddon is in fifth place with almost half a minute ahead of Sébastien Ogier (M-Sport).