Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville has been in the top spot since the season-opening Rally Monte Carlo. Neuville secured full points in Monte Carlo, and although he hasn’t won since, the Belgian has managed to keep other championship contenders at bay.
Check the World Rally Championship standings here.
The WRC has now seen four consecutive gravel rallies, with three more to go before the season concludes with tarmac events. In the previous rally in Latvia, Neuville repeatedly complained about his fate, as the championship leader had to drive first through Friday’s special stages.
Neuville clearly struggled with his starting position and the loose gravel, falling behind the rally leaders. The Hyundai star had nothing good to say about the WRC’s starting order rule over the weekend.
For Kalle Rovanperä, who has won the world championship for the past two seasons, the task of road sweeping is familiar. According to Toyota’s Finnish star, one simply has to get used to the role.
“If you don’t want to sweep, then you shouldn’t lead the championship,” Rovanperä told RallyJournal.com, sending a message to Neuville.
“Everyone always cries about it. I’ve complained about it, and previous leaders have complained about it – everyone complains about it. But there’s no point crying about it any further. If you lead the championship, you sweep on Friday. And if you don’t succeed on Friday, you’ll sweep for the rest of the weekend. That’s just how it goes, there’s nothing you can do about it,” Rovanperä summarised.
During the Rally Latvia, Neuville particularly complained about the high number of consecutive gravel rallies this year. In reality, last year’s calendar also featured seven consecutive gravel events.
“Everyone else has done it too, so there’s nothing special in Thierry’s case. It’s not any worse for him than it is for anyone else,” Rovanperä pointed out.
The WRC season continues this coming weekend with Finland’s fast-paced gravel rally starting on Thursday. Neuville holds an eight-point lead over his teammate Ott Tänak, with Toyota’s Elfyn Evans lurking 13 points behind the leader.
Rovanperä is rooting for his teammate Evans in the championship battle.
“We’re trying to do a good job as a team to get the car in shape, and hopefully, Elfyn can make a strong push towards the end of the season. The Hyundais have been really strong lately,” Rovanperä admitted.
Behind the top three in the championship standings is eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier. The French veteran has participated in selected rallies this year, achieving excellent results.
It is possible that Ogier, who is 28 points behind the leader, will compete in all the remaining rallies and chase yet another WRC title.
“In theory, it’s quite possible. In practice, the gap is quite large, especially with the current points system. But it could be that he gets excited about driving the rest of the season’s rallies and tries to win the championship. It wouldn’t be a surprise,” Rovanperä said.
