Thierry Neuville world champion: The highlights of his victory

That's it, Thierry Neuville can rejoice: he is the world rally champion WRC. Twelve years after his debut with Citroën Junior Team and 5th vice-championship later, the Belgian secured his first world crown. The opportunity for him to get rid of this eternal Poulidor cap that he had been dragging around with him for many seasons.

The task was ultimately easier than expected. Although he had to push during the day on Saturday to get back into the Top 10 after his mechanical problems on Friday, the driver Hyundai took advantage of the catastrophic start ofOtt Tänak this Sunday to celebrate. Indeed, the Estonian made a mistake on the first special of the day, which secured the title for his teammate, who was informed of the news during the liaison.

This crowns a season that was quite difficult to read between great victories like this second Monte-Carlo as an opening goal or even this difficulty in returning to success because of his role as an opener that he criticized so much during the year.

From the stages of the Monaco classic to his coronation on Japanese soil this Sunday, via his Italian misadventures which were ultimately not as catastrophic as imagined, a look back at the campaign of Thierry Neuville, finally world champion.

Monte Carlo and a flying start

What could be better than a victory on one of the most prestigious rallies than the Monte-Carlo to kick off your season? Probably nothing! On the icy roads around the Principality, Thierry Neuville produced one of his finest performances. Four years after his first victory there, he doubled the stakes at the end of a dream weekend: 9 special stages won out of 17, the maximum number of points possible thanks to this new scale (30) with the highlight being the best time during the Power Stage. Boss size!

© Damien Saulnier / DPPI

Croatia-Portugal, two podiums in a row and big points

Leader of the championship after his triumph in Monte-Carlo and his 4th place in Sweden, the child of Saint-Vith struggles to fight for the victory in the regular way because of his position as fly-half. Despite everything, he does not give up and manages to sign very good results, facing in particular Ott Tänak, Elfyn Evans and the intermittents of Toyota what are Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier. The Croatia-Portugal sequence appeared to be a revelation for him. Unable to compete with Ogier, the Belgian took advantage of the current scale to be able to pick up valuable points like the 18 and 13 on each Saturday of these two events. For comparison, he only scored three points less over these two weekends than Ogier, winner each time.

© Nikos Katikis / DPPI

A very well rewarded 41st place in Sardinia

Out of the race on Saturday on the Italian island after his accident on SS8, Thierry Neuville decided not to throw in the towel for the rest, and rightly so. The current scale allows him to score up to 12 points on Sunday, the Hyundai driver seized his chance to the full and made the most of his position on the road to strike hard. Three scratch wins out of four and especially the best time of the Power Stage to hit the jackpot. 41st at the finish, he only scored 4 points less than Dani Sordo, who was 3rd. A result that will count for a lot in his quest for the title.

Greece, finally another victory

In a very close duel with Sébastien Ogier who decided to finish the season in the hope of winning a 9th crown, Thierry Neuville managed to outwit his opponent. The Tricolore, very sharp throughout the weekend, made a mistake during the Power Stage, offering victory on a plate to his counterpart: 24-13 for the Belgian who gave himself a big breath of fresh air. It's incredible, he smiled. It was a crazy weekend. I knew we had to take a different approach to some of the other riders to try and maintain the advantage we have in the championship for the remaining rounds. That goal has been achieved, and it has been rewarded with a win and a good result for the team. We didn’t drive to the limit all weekend to avoid punctures and difficult moments, and we kept all four wheels on the road. Now we have a good lead, the story will be to protect those points in the last three rounds. »

© Red Bull Content Pool

Japan, the coronation of Thierry Neuville

A month after missing his first match point at the Central European Championship, Thierry Neuville did not miss a chance. When he arrived, the equation was simple: score 6 points, regardless of the result of Ott Tänak, the only one who could still deprive him of the title. After spending his Saturday making up for the time lost on Friday due to a faulty turbo, the boy from Saint-Vith did not have to take the knife out on Sunday. Quite the opposite, since he was crowned before the end of the first special of the day after the Estonian, who was the overall leader, went off.

With Ott Tänak on the mat, Thierry Neuville was able to attack the rest of the Rally in the shoes of the world champion. A huge weight off his shoulders, he who has gone through all these emotions since his full-time debut in 2012 and in particular 5 second places in the championship (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019). He also became the first Belgian and first Hyundai driver to be crowned world champion.

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