The Belgian driver finished Saturday in third place, an impressive achievement given that he was first on the road on Friday. This third place after Saturday currently promises 13 provisional championship points, with more available on Sunday.
“We are happy to be survived overnight. Take those 13 points, which obviously need to be confirmed tomorrow by finishing the event, but it’s already taken. We also have a better starting position for tomorrow,” Neuville said.
“Hopefully, we’re going to take a few more extra points tomorrow. We don’t need to take them all, but we shouldn’t be the slowest either tomorrow. I’m happy with the result.”
Since Saturday’s points are provisional, Neuville must finish on Sunday to secure them. This adds pressure to Sunday’s stages, as while he’d like to chase maximum points, a mistake could jeopardise everything.
“Today was a bit difficult for me. I struggled a bit to maintain concentration. I wasn’t always feeling very well in the car, which made it quite challenging. Also, we were stuck between two ‘chairs’, not pushing too much but just maintaining rhythm,” Neuville explained.
“It was a bit up and down. But we’re here, and we’re in third position. That’s where we wanted to end the day, looking forward to tomorrow.”
While Neuville must avoid unnecessary risks on Sunday, he’s prepared to fight for points.
“Tomorrow, we need to take the points. It is a crucial day. If you have a problem and don’t finish, you lose all the work. We need to stay focused,” he reflected.
