Leading the championship, Neuville had to open the road for others as the first car. However, the Belgian drove well and is in fifth place after the first day of the rally.
On Saturday, Neuville’s starting position will be better than on Friday, though an even better position would have been preferable.
“I’m still happy with my day. Obviously, I would have loved to be third overnight and not fifth with only three seconds between. But that is what it is,” Neuville said.
Saturday in Sardinia features eight special stages. Neuville believes he can achieve a good result in the rally.
“We are constantly adapting. But now obviously it looks like there’s an opportunity for a podium,” Neuville planned.
Neuville’s teammate Dani Sordo also had a good opening day. The Spanish veteran is third in the rally, but Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta and Neuville are close behind. A tough battle is expected.
“Tomorrow is tough. But it was important to have a good day today for the road position at the end. And luckily, Thierry didn’t pass us because he was doing an amazing performance today, also being first on the road.”, Sordo said.
Takamoto Katsuta had a good day on Friday in Sardinia. The Toyota Japanese driver is firmly in the fight for a podium position.
“The position itself is not bad, but I struggled on most of the stages. I don’t really know what the problem was, but hopefully, Saturday will be a better day,” Katsuta said.
“You cannot change the setup. You cannot change so many things on the car. So, need to really find a good base,” Katsuta added.
