Neuville finished third in the rally but earned nearly the same number of points as Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier, who won the event, and teammate Ott Tänak, who took the largest points haul.
Tänak finished second in the event but still secured the largest points haul. The Estonian took 26 points, while Ogier secured one point less. Neuville, however, secured 24 points, just one point less than the rally winner.
“I mean, it’s been a great Super Sunday for us again,” Neuville said.
“And also, Friday was great. So, in the end, it was a very challenging and difficult weekend, but a super great result for us,” Neuville summarised.
Neuville’s goal was, of course, to grab as many points as possible, but he didn’t start calculating points mid-event.
“I have always been good at maths, but I’m not sure it really helps me. I mean, the job has to be done in the car, and we have to be consistent and reliable, and attack when needed. But it’s easy to say, not so easy to do,” Neuville reminded.
Neuville has never won a world championship in his career, but this year perhaps offers a better chance than ever. The Belgian has succeeded on every surface this season, from snow to gravel, and Rally Finland is also on the horizon at the end of summer. Neuville has never really succeeded in Finland, but now his confidence should be solid.
“I mean, it’s still a long way to Finland, but generally, the rallies are really exhausting and take a lot of energy. So, I don’t think I feel very, very strong right now at the end of the rally. But we’ve got to recharge the batteries before Sardinia and come back again to fight for important points,” Neuville anticipated.
The WRC continues at the end of May and the beginning of June in Sardinia. The event in Finland takes place in early August.
