Starting from Monte Carlo in January, Neuville grabbed maximum points and has since finished fourth in Sweden, fifth in Kenya, and third in Croatia. Additionally, Neuville has harvested a good tally of points from every event’s Super Sunday.
Neuville leads the championship, but Toyota’s Elfyn Evans is just six points behind. Neither driver has the best starting position for the upcoming Rally de Portugal next weekend.
“Success in Portugal comes down to the same factors as always. We need consistency, a good setup and confidence in the car,” emphasizes Neuville.
“Road conditions and position will also make a huge difference to how we perform: whenever it’s raining we will be fast, when it’s dry we will struggle more because everyone knows the stages well.”
Preparation has gone well for Neuville. The Belgian star tested in Portugal right after the Croatia Rally ended a couple of weeks ago.
“I was happy with the car in the pre-event test, and we focussed on a setup that would bring me the necessary confidence to push in very slippery conditions. This more precise car is needed for all the corner combinations, but I still need some of the traction we focussed on in Kenya,” Neuville summarized.
“My goals are to optimise our performance on Friday and Saturday before pushing on Sunday for maximum points, I would love to finish on the top step of the podium.”
The Rally de Portugal starts on Thursday morning with a shakedown. The event concludes on Sunday, featuring a total of 22 special stages, covering about 337 kilometers.
