Neuville: Best chance yet to win maiden WRC title

With just three stops remaining in this 13-round 2024 season, the Belgian ace holds a 34-point lead over his Hyundai Motorsport team-mate Ott Tänak.

That advantage was bolstered by a dominant performance at last week’s EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, where Neuville led a Hyundai 1-2-3 finish ahead of Tänak and Dani Sordo.

Sébastien Ogier, Neuville’s main title rival going into the rally, rolled his car on the Wolf Power Stage while running second overall. Ogier had been just 27 points behind Neuville before the event but now finds himself trailing by 38 points.

A maiden title is within reach for Neuville, who has finished runner-up five times - four of those behind Ogier.

“We have never been in a better position,” Neuville admitted to WRC.com following his Acropolis victory. “We have been in the championship fight until the end of the season before now, but we have never been this close with such a big lead, that’s for sure.

“It’s all about the management now. We need to focus on our job, like we have done on every single event with our own targets and try to bring it home.”

Neuville has credited this season’s success to ongoing improvements at Hyundai, which he believes have provided him and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe with their strongest car yet.

“We have a car which is fast on every single event, which hasn’t always been the case in previous years,” he revealed.

“I have been taking less risks on some of the events than I did in the past because, with less risks, I can still keep up with the others and with the best. That helps a lot, for sure, but we also have new engineers, we have restructured the technical departments, and we have a new team principal. We have a new methodology of work which gives us a good car, and, with a good car, everything is a bit more easy.”

Neuville’s quest for his first WRC crown continues later this month at Rally Chile, based in the Bio Bío region from 26 - 29 September.