Thierry Neuville and the alignment of the planets

If he refuses to consider himself in a more interesting position than in previous seasons, doesn't the Belgian have everything he needs to win the Grail? However, there remain several unknowns such as the performance of his Hyundai, the organization of the team and the atmosphere within it.

Published on 11/01/2023 à 18:00

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Thierry Neuville and the alignment of the planets

The big day for Thierry Neuville? © Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Second in 2020 and 2021, Elfyn Evans was favored by the votes in 2022, but this time Thierry Neuville seems to have all the necessary assets to finally seize the crown.

When this name is mentioned, reactions are rarely lukewarm. For its fans, it's obvious. For the most resistant, the answer is often scathing: “ Neuville? But this has been going on for ten years and he has never succeeded! » Since his arrival at Hyundai in 2014, the Belgian is one of three or four annual contenders, but so far that has only resulted in four runner-up silver medals. Without it necessarily being his fault, won't the circumstances of the season which opens be the most ideal he has ever known? With the discontinuous presence of Sébastien Ogier and that of Sébastien even more scattered Loeb, Neuville sees two very embarrassing rivals disappear from the list of candidates. In this one, should we write Ott Tänak (see p.42)? If he had stayed at Hyundai, the 2019 world champion would have been a very serious candidate. His old