The Belgian leads the race by 5.1 seconds ahead of Toyota’s Elfyn Evans. Another Toyota driver, Sebastien Ogier, is 7.7 seconds behind Neuville.
Neuville was especially fast on the morning’s opening stage, setting the fastest time nearly ten seconds ahead of Evans. According to Neuville, the advance information from the ice note crew contributed significantly to his notes.
“The first stage went quite perfectly, and I had a good rhythm. I also got good information from the ice note crew for the special stage. However, there were a few icy spots that weren’t marked. I could see from far away that ice was coming. I managed to slow down enough,” Neuville summarised.
“Then there were areas where there was no ice, even though it was marked. Others seemed to have more of those places marked, which made them cautious. I had the same situation yesterday when I lost 17 seconds on one stage.”
Neuville has got his Hyundai flying.
“The car felt good all morning. We even made some small adjustments to the settings, and afterwards, it felt even better. The car is fast, and the notes are accurate. I felt confident, and then you can push to the max,” Neuville said.
For the first time in Monte Carlo, WRC points are being awarded according to a new system. The top drivers will be rewarded with points after Saturday, but to earn them, they must also reach the finish on Sunday.
“There’s nothing much to think about. We just continue to push. The car doesn’t need major changes. The risks are certainly big, so we’ll see what we can achieve,” Evans commented on the situation.
Evans also lost his hybrid unit on the morning’s opening stage, which cost him time.
“We knew this could happen. Situations change quickly here. The morning loop was clean driving from me. We lost a lot to Thierry on the icy part of the first stage. We also lost the hybrid unit during the stage, and that took more time,” the Welshman remarked.
“So, not the best performance, but there’s still a chance to fight for the win. We’ll try to push a bit harder and mark the tricky spots better in the notes.”
Three more stages are scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Rally Monte Carlo.
