Neuville claimed his only victory of the season so far at the Rally Monte Carlo at the start of the year, and since then, the Belgian has consistently led the World Rally Championship standings. As the championship leader, the Hyundai driver has had to start first on the road on the opening day of rallies, a position that typically proves disadvantageous in gravel events.
Now, with five consecutive gravel rallies completed, Neuville still holds the top spot in the standings – and by a considerable margin. The Belgian star has a 27-point lead over Sebastien Ogier, who, despite his part-time schedule, remains in the hunt for this season’s championship title.
Check the World Rally Championship standings here.
Neuville faces two more road-sweeping assignments. First up is the Acropolis Rally in Greece, where starting first usually results in time losses — potentially significant ones.
However, Neuville offered a somewhat surprising comment following the recent Rally Finland.
“Acropolis Rally is a challenging event, and tyre management will be crucial again. Strategy can also play a significant role there, so we have to be on top of things. I think it won’t be as bad as the last events, even though in Finland we got away with it.”
Neuville has performed well in this year’s gravel rallies, despite his challenging starting position. In fact, only in the Rally Latvia did the Hyundai driver fall significantly behind the leading pack, finishing in eighth place.
The Acropolis Rally will once again test both the drivers and their equipment. The forecast for the race week predicts hot and dry weather, so Neuville will not receive any relief in the form of rain.
“In the car, we can suffer a lot from the heat and the roughness of the terrain. The stages are always changing, so we come across a variety of profiles throughout the weekend. I enjoy this rally a lot, I like the technicalities of managing tyres and the car, and the roads are very different to what we usually see on a weekend,” Neuville remarks.
“For a strong weekend, we need a good mix of performance, precision and protection from the car setup; strong rims are also a necessity to protect tyres as much as possible.”
Neuville has a clear plan for the weekend. The Belgian is fighting for his first championship title and cannot afford any mistakes now.
“We are still leading the fight for the championship, so it is important to score as many points as possible without pushing too hard and risking the entire weekend. Our car is strong and we usually perform well in Greece, so hopefully we can do the same this year.”
