In theory, Hyundai could celebrate a championship victory in Central Europe, as Thierry Neuville could finally secure his first drivers’ world title. Hyundai also has a chance to essentially drive the final nail into Toyota’s coffin in the manufacturers’ championship.
This thrilling opportunity is a double-edged sword, bringing both peace and increasing pressure within the team. No one at Hyundai wants the titles to be decided in Toyota’s home race in Japan come November.
“Feeling good. Like you feel good when you arrive at a rally where, first and foremost, it’s somewhere we’ve done well last year, where we know we have a car that is pretty competitive on tarmac. We have great drivers who are happy to be here,” Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul commented.
Abiteboul has every reason to be optimistic. Hyundai made a strong start on Thursday.
“And obviously, when you have a rally where you’re leading the championship and one-two in the drivers’ championship, you also feel good,” Abiteboul continued.
But the coin has two sides. That’s something Hyundai’s camp must remember.
“But you have possibly everything to lose. I think it’s in our hands to remain reasonable, calm, and pragmatic about our target, not to create artificial or unnecessary pressure for ourselves or to take unnecessary risks,” Abiteboul reminded.
Thierry Neuville’s long wait could be ending. The Belgian has been with Hyundai since 2014, enduring numerous bitter losses in the WRC. He’s even been labeled the “eternal second.” Now, Neuville is in a prime position and could clinch the championship this weekend.
“He knows exactly what he needs to do,” Abiteboul emphasized.
“It doesn’t mean that we haven’t discussed things. We’ve simply kept on repeating, because there is a bit of pressure from everyone – from the system, from you guys (media) – to say, ‘you can leave this rally as a winner’. But this should not turn into ‘you must win this rally,'” Abiteboul added.
The Hyundai boss reminded everyone that the season isn’t over yet.
“There are 13 rounds, not 12. If you try to do a job that you’ve been assigned for 13 weeks and try to make it in 12, that’s where you might underperform. So we shouldn’t do that. We have 13 rounds to do the job, so let’s stay in line with that approach and target,” Abiteboul stated.
“Clearly, it would be a very nice relief to go to Japan with no pressure. But if it’s a luxury we can’t afford, then let’s not try to buy things we can’t afford,” he concluded.
