Neuville clinched his first World Rally Championship title in Japan, a goal he had pursued relentlessly for over a decade. He first finished as runner-up in the championship back in 2013.
The championship was sealed on Sunday’s first stage when his only remaining rival, teammate Ott Tänak, crashed out.
Neuville, a family man with a wife and two children, now has a bedtime story for his kids that comes with a happy ending.
“If I have to tell the story, I think in that story there would be a very proud father winning a very tough competition,” Neuville said.
“I was super happy to have my family here this weekend – my two children and my wife – to celebrate that together with them,” he added.
It took Neuville some time to fully process what he had accomplished. By the evening, the reality began to sink in.
“Slowly, for sure. It’s been nearly 10 or 12 hours now. But we have been very focused throughout the day. We had another target as well, and we didn’t succeed, so we’re smiling with one eye and maybe feeling a bit less joy on the other side,” Neuville admitted.
Neuville was referring to the manufacturers’ championship, which once again slipped away to Toyota. Toyota claimed the title for the fourth consecutive time.
“But in the end, our main goal has been achieved. For the team, the strategy from the beginning of the year was to fight for the drivers’ title. That may not have been as clear towards the end of the year, but at the start, that was our goal, and we made it,” Neuville said gratefully.
Neuville had finished as runner-up in the championship five times before. The disappointment of narrowly losing the 2018 title haunted him for years. This season, Neuville mastered the new points system, understanding that the championship was a marathon, not a sprint.
“I’m very proud and very happy. It’s the reward for years of fighting and never giving up. There have been moments where I’ve asked myself, ‘Why do you keep fighting so hard?’ or thought that I should just enjoy it more instead of putting myself under so much pressure to succeed. But on the other hand, I’m a competitor, and I only enjoy it when things go well,” Neuville reflected.
At 36, Neuville had been labelled by some as the “eternal runner-up.” He admitted to moments of despair, including in Japan, where a technical issue on Friday took him out of the lead battle.
“Friday morning was a big blow. We were in second place and probably could have won the rally this weekend or at least finished second. But then we took a big hit. That was tough. It was difficult, but Martin (co-driver Wydaeghe) and I stayed calm. We had those 25 points, which still gave us hope for a good result at the end of the weekend,” Neuville explained.
Remaining composed throughout the season was a key factor in finally securing his first title.
“It’s not so easy, but it’s probably experience. I have the ability to remind myself – and I’ve said this in many interviews – that, I’m very aware that I’m living a dream. Only a few people have the opportunity to live their dream and do what they’ve always wanted to do. So, I always try to tell myself, ‘Even if things don’t go your way, you’re still living your dream,’ and I try to make the most of it. Of course, it doesn’t always work out,” Neuville admitted.
Neuville led the championship all season, which meant frequently being the road sweeper on stages. He criticised the fairness of this situation several times during the year.
“This year has been particularly challenging with the road cleaning and the part-time drivers. It didn’t always feel fair, but we had to do our job, and we kept doing it,” Neuville said.
Now, Neuville looks forward to a well-deserved holiday and celebrating his championship. He also extended his gratitude to the Belgian public and media for their support.
“I have to say that Belgium is a small country, but we have received great support, and I was very happy to see so many Belgian media outlets here this weekend. Belgium has made a great effort. But overall, we know Belgium is a divided country—we have the Flemish part, the German-speaking part, and the French-speaking part. This weekend, and in the past few weeks, the country has felt very united, and that was really nice,” Neuville said.
“You journalists are part of that success as well. Without you, it wouldn’t be possible to get these stories out to the public. So, I think everyone has done great work this weekend,” Neuville concluded.
