WRC – Neuville: Quiet strength at the Acropolis

Thierry Neuville made a strong impression on Rally of the Acropolis by securing his second podium of the season after his third place obtained in Mexico. If the Belgian did not try to panic the times, he was able to take advantage of the disappointments of his opponents to take care of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC on the rough Greek roads and reach the finish in third position. “We proved this weekend that the car was very competitive and I think we proved (with Nicolas Gilsoul, his co-driver) that we were as well. We did a good job this weekend. The strategy paid off and we secured our second podium of the season. »

His teammate Evgeny Novikov, however, showed a better pace by taking the lead in the Acropolis Rally at the end of the first stage. But the Russian was trapped by a puncture and could only finish ninth. Mads Ostberg was immediately penalized, losing several minutes after hitting a curb. With his new podium, Thierry Neuville is the best placed Qatar WRT driver in the Championship since he finds himself fifth, 11 points behind Mikko Hirvonen. The Belgian has not yet achieved the slightest scratch in this event. “We showed that we can be fast and cunning, that's something very important in Greece. But I recognize that it is not easy. I'm only 24 years old and it's sometimes difficult to see others achieve very good times and to tell yourself that you have to stay behind. But this strategy works and we are constantly making progress. »

Click on this link to discover the videos of the Acropolis Rally.

Discover the analysis of the Acropolis Rally in the next issue of AUTOhebdo, available from Tuesday in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.