WRC
Tänak's Finland win or Neuville's first crown?
Ott Tänak gave Hyundai its first Rally Finland victory in 2022. Thierry Neuville delivered its first drivers' world title in 2024. Which moment should progress?
Two landmarks for Hyundai Motorsport go head-to-head in Rally1 Rewind, with Ott Tänak's Rally Finland victory taking on Thierry Neuville's maiden world championship.
Tänak and Martin Järveoja had to hold off a determined Toyota challenge on Finland's fast gravel roads in 2022. Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe faced a very different test in Japan two years later, when a season of work and years of near-misses finally led to a world title.
Tänak gives Hyundai its first Finland win
Tänak did not arrive in Finland feeling fully comfortable with his Hyundai i20 N Rally1. He nevertheless produced the pace to lead from the second stage and the resolve to keep it.
Toyota's home challenge was led in the closing stages by Kalle Rovanperä, who had cut the gap to 8.4sec heading into Sunday. Tänak and Järveoja could afford little hesitation on roads where the smallest loss of confidence costs time.
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They held on to win by 6.8sec. It was Tänak's third Rally Finland victory, but Hyundai's first, breaking Toyota's run of wins on the event.
“I was really on the limit and over the limit for most of the rally,” Tänak explained afterwards. The final margin reflected how hard the crew had worked to resist Rovanperä and turn a difficult car feeling into a result worth celebrating.
Neuville becomes world champion in Japan
Neuville had finished runner-up in the WRC five times before the 2024 finale. Even with a strong championship lead, his path to the crown was anything but straightforward.
A turbo problem on Friday cost him valuable time and left Tänak with an opportunity to keep the contest alive. Neuville and Wydaeghe fought back to seventh by Saturday evening, still needing points from the final day to make certain.
The decisive news arrived on Sunday's opening stage, when Tänak crashed out of the rally lead. Neuville's championship advantage was now unassailable, confirming the Belgian crew's first world titles before the Power Stage.
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“Honestly, it came like a surprise,” Neuville said as the news sank in. After so many seasons of getting close, he could finally celebrate. Hyundai had its first drivers' world champion, and Neuville and Wydaeghe had the achievement they had been chasing together.
Choose your quarter-finalist below before 08:00 CET on 13 November. The opening round concludes tomorrow with Esapekka Lappi's Sweden victory against Elfyn Evans' Sardinia title triumph.
