Neuville has the chance to secure the World Rally Championship title, marking what would be the first title of his career. After years of chasing this goal, he’s now closer than ever to making it a reality.
“It feels quite calm, to be honest,” Neuville reflected on his current mindset. “Maybe the pressure will come throughout the weekend. I don’t know, but at the moment, I try to stay focused. We don’t necessarily need to win the championship this weekend,” he pointed out.
Neuville has driven a strong season, consistently scoring points without pushing too hard for the win. This strategy has put him in his current position.
“Of course, we want to win, and we hope, but we’ve had a good strategy so far this year, and there’s no reason to change that,” Neuville explained.
Throughout his career, Neuville has been more comfortable on tarmac than on gravel.
“It’s what I enjoy. I mean, obviously, it’s always nice to be back on tarmac. Running first on the road with so many gravel rallies in a row has been tough,” he said.
Starting first on the road often disadvantaged Neuville, but he’s kept his frustration in check, knowing that his approach would pay off in the long run.
“We’re not that frustrated anymore. The beginning of the year was tough – losing time, fighting for the championship, and trying to take the maximum points. It was difficult to accept sometimes,” he admitted.
Nevertheless, Neuville managed to keep his strategy intact, particularly with strong performances on Sundays, which has brought him to this pivotal moment.
“I think we’ve had a good strategy so far by attacking early in the year, especially on Sundays. And then, managing throughout the last few races also helped to increase our gap,” Neuville noted.
For the Central European Rally, Neuville isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel.
“I’ll just do my normal thing, and then day by day, we’re gonna adapt,” he concluded.
