Thierry Neuville: Using “lessons” from past editions

Undefeated since 2013 on the roads of Rally Monte Carlo, Sébastien Ogier had found in Thierry Neuville un adversaire de taille l’an passé. Le pilote M-Sport n’avait pu suivre en début de course le rythme imposé par le Belge de Hyundai before a slight gap deprived the former driver of Malcolm Wilson's team of a victory that was available to him.

After having proven the qualities of the i20 Coupe WRC last year by winning four times (best performer of the season) and his top speed (best total of special victories in 2017), Thierry Neuville, still co-driven by Nicolas Gilsoul, intends to use his past experiences in the South of France to finally aim for the top of the Monegasque podium.

“We saw last year, after leading the event comfortably until the penultimate day, that a small mistake eliminated us in a very frustrating way, recalls Neuville.

It’s all Monte-Carlo. It’s a complicated challenge to start the year. We will aim to make the most of all lessons from our participation in recent editions of this event. »

Mikkelsen as an outsider?

In addition to Thierry Neuville, Hyundai Motorsport will be able to count on Dani Sordo and Andreas Mikkelsen to aim for the first places this Thursday. The Norwegian will return to a full-time program after competing in several events with Citroën and Hyundai last year.

The former Volkswagen driver does not hide having certain objectives for 2018, but knows that the Monte-Carlo Rally is always a difficult start to approach.

“It’s an incredibly difficult challenge to start a new year with all kinds of conditions, including driving at night where black ice can send anyone out, indicates the Norwegian. I'm looking forward to a regular year and aiming to be in the fight for the championship. »

The Monte-Carlo Rally will begin this Thursday, and can be followed live and in full on our website with our live text. Don’t forget that our 2018 WRC Guide is also available in digital version and on newsstands.