Near the end of the Shinshiro stage, Neuville’s Hyundai encountered a technical issue that caused a significant loss of power. The Belgian driver limped to the finish, losing 40.8 seconds to Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, who set the fastest time on the stage.
“I don’t know. No power,” a disappointed Neuville commented at the stage end.
The situation is highly problematic for Neuville, as there is no proper service scheduled during Friday’s leg of the Japanese tarmac rally. After the Shinshiro stage, drivers proceeded to a short tyre fitting zone, where only limited repairs can be made.
If Neuville is unable to resolve the issue, he will inevitably fall far behind in the battle for the lead. This would likely mean that the championship leader would miss out on the provisional points available by Saturday evening.
Neuville holds a 25-point lead over his teammate Ott Tänak in the championship standings. This means the Belgian needs just six points to secure the title, and he still has the opportunity to collect those points on Sunday.
Neuville’s troubles may have opened the door for Tänak to re-enter the championship fight. However, Tänak wasn’t pleased to hear about his teammate’s problems.
“That’s not good news,” Tänak remarked.
Elfyn Evans, who set the fastest time on the Shinshiro stage, moved into the rally lead with a 0.7-second advantage over Tänak. Neuville is now third overall.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta climbed to fourth place in the tarmac rally, overtaking M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux, but the Japanese driver is already over a minute behind the leaders. Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen and M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster occupy the next positions.
Nikolay Gryazin continues to lead the WRC2 category ahead of Sami Pajari. A second-place finish in Japan would be enough for Pajari to secure the WRC2 championship.
After the tyre fitting zone, five more stages remain on Friday at Rally Japan. The rally concludes on Sunday.
Rally Japan standings after SS4/21:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | 42:24.0 |
| 2. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +0.7 |
| 3. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +40.2 |
| 4. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:11.2 |
| 5. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +1:13.5 |
| 6. | Andreas Mikkelsen | Hyundai | +1:19.8 |
| 7. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +1:32.4 |
| 8. | Nikolay Grjazin | Citroen | +1:44.3 |
| 9. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +2:03.4 |
| 10. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +2:31.0 |
Rally Japan itinerary (CET):
Thursday 21 November
01.01 Shakedown: Kuragaike Park (2.75 km)
11.05 SS1: Toyota Stadium SSS 1 (2.15 km)
Friday, 22 November
23:44 SS2: Isegami's Tunnel 1 (23.67 km)
00:44 SS3: Inabu / Shitara 1 (19.38 km)
02:12 SS4: Shinshiro 1 (17.41 km)
04:27 Tyre fitting zone (15 min)
05:32 SS5: Isegami's Tunnel 2 (23.67 km)
06:32 SS6: Inabu / Shitara 2 (19.38 km)
08:00 SS7: Shinshiro 2 (17.41 km)
10:35 SS8: Okazaki SSS 1 (2.54 km)
10:44 SS9: Okazaki SSS 2 (2.54 km)
Saturday, 23 November
00:05 SS10: Mt. Kasagi 1 (16.47 km)
01:03 SS11: Nenoue Kougen 1 (11.60 km)
02:16 SS12: Ena 1 (22.79 km)
04:04 Tyre fitting zone (15 min)
05:05 SS13: Mt. Kasagi 2 (16.47 km)
06:08 SS14: Nenoue Kougen 2 (11.60 km)
07:16 SS15: Ena 2 (22.79 km)
10:07 Service (45 min)
11:05 SS16: Toyota Stadium SSS 2 (2.15 km)
Sunday, 24 November
23:39 SS17: Nukata 1 (20.23 km)
00:35 SS18: Lake Mikawako 1 (13.98 km)
01:38 SS19: Nukata 2 (20.23 km)
03:49 Service (15 min)
04:17 SS20: Toyota Stadium SSS 3 (2.15 km)
06:15 SS21: Lake Mikawako 2 (13.98 km) Power Stage
