Will Thierry Neuville take 2nd place from Kalle Rovanperä?

Installed on the podium since SS4, Thierry Neuville n’a pas toujours eu la partie facile pour conserver sa position. A la lutte avec le champion du monde en titre, le pilote Hyundai était parvenu à contenir l’écart à 1s9 vendredi soir. Durant l’étape montant le plus nord de Monaco, il est d’abord apparu impuissant face aux performances des Toyota. En trois tronçons, son retard est passé à 12s4 et rien ne semblait pouvoir interrompre l’hémorragie. Au cours de la zone de changement de pneus, Thierry a effectué des modifications qui ont payé. « We had prepared for a rally more complicated in terms of conditionshe explained. Our car was far too soft and this was further reinforced by the soft tires which start to move after only a few kilometers. The whole car was moving too. This made us lose precision in the fast sections whereas in the winding sections, we are as fast as our rivals and sometimes even faster than them. »

Resuming the morning loop, Neuville demonstrated that he has not given up. He set the first two fastest times for an i20 in this Monte-Carlo (SS12 and 13) while the battle for places at the top of the standings raged. The Belgian came back 9s3 from Rovanperä, but the latter struck a big blow in the night. This did not dampen Thierry's determination. “ We don't have much to complain about, he concluded. We didn't have the means to do better. We really gave it our all. I didn't make a mistake, I took a lot of risks by sometimes being over the limit. We can be proud of our day even if we are not ranked as we would like. »

Pushed back to 16s from 2^e Instead, the gap seems significant, but Neuville has not given up. “ For this last step, we will continue to put pressure, he asserted. Kalle must feel victory possible, so he will give everything, but he is not immune from making a mistake. The day will still be long with almost 70 km timed (67,88 km, Editor’s note) and 6 tires. The temperatures should be higher and we will have to do the 4 stages with these tires. I know they are in good condition, but I'm not even sure they will last the distance with the wear and tear there will be. However, I have no idea what the others have left, but I hope to be better. »

If the Hyundai driver will try to dislodge Rovanperä, he is also ready to settle for 3^e place. “ Sébastien Ogier not playing the entire championship, a 3^e rank would not be a bad result, he concluded. When the Toyotas get angry, we see that they are still ahead, so we have to stay on the road and take as many points as possible. »

The last stage of this 91^e Monte-Carlo consists of two special stages to be completed twice for a total of 67,88 km timed.