Thierry Neuville has emerged from Rally Italy Sardegna with mixed feelings after a rollercoaster week through round six.
The FIA World Rally Championship leader delivered a great performance through Friday’s opening four stages, only to slide off the road after a loss of concentration on the second pass of Tula on Saturday.
Returning on the final day, Neuville picked up a maximum 12 points from Super Sunday. The Belgian’s lead at the top of the table might have shrunk by six, but this year’s Rallye Monte-Carlo winner was still able to see plenty of positives.
Looking back on his Sardinian outing, Neuville said: “I’m not very proud of the weekend as a whole but I take pride in our performance on Friday and Sunday, as well as in the team for a great result.
“We did the job we needed to do on Sunday, but we are obviously frustrated with what happened on Saturday. We were clearly managing the conditions, the speed was good and we felt comfortable – and fast. I just lost focus for a fraction of a second, and there was no way to continue.
“Now we turn to Poland, where I have won before – we have shown great improvements last year in Estonia and Finland, so I am looking forward to it.”
Finland
Italy
Hungary