Neuville was on top of the world last November when he secured his long-awaited first World Rally Championship title at Rally Japan. However, his mood quickly shifted from one extreme to another when January arrived with Rally Monte-Carlo.
The traditional season opener was a complete disaster for Neuville. He finished only sixth in the rally, collecting just nine championship points.
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, competing in a full season, finished second in the rally and bagged 26 points in Monte-Carlo. As a result, the defending champion already finds himself at a significant disadvantage in the championship battle right from the outset.
Neuville ruined his rally on Friday, going off the road twice at the same corner.
“All in all, the weekend was challenging for us,” Neuville admitted.
“It went wrong from the braking in the hairpin on Friday, and then the combination of our road position and the conditions today (Sunday) that didn’t favour us. Today there was less ice than expected, and cars were going faster on slick tyres – it was a difficult Sunday,” Neuville added.
Neuville will soon have a chance to improve when the season continues in mid-February in Sweden. A positive for Neuville is that he won’t have to open the road.
“We can be optimistic about what’s coming next in Sweden; we will have a better road position and hopefully a better rally because of it,” Neuville said.
Of course, the road position alone doesn’t guarantee anything. The work must still be done.
“We still need to make the most of it,” Neuville emphasised.
Rally Sweden is scheduled for 13–16 February.
