Thierry Neuville: “It was a lot of stress”

Thierry Neuveille, this rally was complicated until the end. How did you experience it, and particularly this last day with the rain?

It's been a completely crazy weekend. We arrived in Japan without knowing the country and having to discover the roads. We had to make notes on excessively demanding times. After two already extremely difficult stages, Sunday was even more selective. It took a lot of concentration and calm. This morning the weather was constantly changing and we were never equipped with the right tires.

The Power Stage seemed extreme!

The fog started to fill the windshield at first. I was afraid it would completely cover him. We opened the windows and it remained bearable. I had to drive like this (he pretends to lean over his steering wheel). There was also fog… it was a lot of stress, but we managed.

To establish yourself at Toyota for the last rally of the year, isn't that the best way to prepare for 2023?

Absolutely. If we look back eleven months from where we've come, I think we've made significant improvements. This does not mean that there is no more work to be done. There are still a lot of them... but first we must try to take advantage of this double while also hoping that it motivates the whole team for next year, because during this end of the year, we have only been able to see progress have been achieved, so we must continue.

You said at the start of the rally that it would be good to win for your opener Bruno Thiry who decided to stop… is it done?

After ten years of collaboration with Bruno, it's the end. He is retiring, but we had some great times together and I have great memories. Once again during this weekend which was not easy, they did a great job.

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