The event’s nine-time winner, Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier, had powered into the lead during the afternoon loop, but Neuville struck back on the day’s final stage. The Belgian recorded impressive fastest times and leads the rally by a margin of 3.3 seconds ahead of Ogier.
“It couldn’t have gone much better. It was sheer perfection from start to finish. I knew immediately at the finish that the time would surely be good. Martijn (co-driver Wydaghe) told me during the stage to keep up the same rhythm until the end. The driving felt natural, and it was fun, too,” Neuville enthused.
“I definitely enjoyed the battle, especially when I felt confident in the car. It’s never nice when Seb gets ahead, but fortunately, we were able to strike back.”
Neuville also praised his ice note crew, which provides additional information about conditions before each special stage.
“In the morning, we were third and aimed to reduce the gap to the lead. We didn’t expect to catch up to the lead so quickly. The car worked very well today. Our ice note crew also did a great job. We were getting better aligned with them. That gave me more confidence, and I could push harder,” Neuville summarised.
More WRC points are up for grabs on Sunday. Neuville has already banked 18 conditional points for leading the rally after Saturday. On Sunday, the top seven drivers will receive points, and additionally, the Power Stage will offer points to the top five.
“I don’t want to take too many risks. I must admit, I took some on the last stage, but otherwise, the day was very much under control. Let’s see how tomorrow goes. The gap is slight, so we must drive hard,” Neuville summarised.
“However, we also need to be smart. We don’t need all the points, but it would be great if we could maintain our lead and collect as many points as possible. The goal is a steady day, but we still need to drive hard.”
Three more stages await on Sunday, the final day of the Rally Monte Carlo.
