The stakes are still high in the main category of the World Rally Championship. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville is firmly in contention for the drivers’ championship, with his only challenger being teammate Ott Tänak, who trails by 25 points.
This means Neuville needs only a few points from Japan to secure his first world championship title.
On the manufacturers’ side, the situation is slightly tighter. Hyundai holds a 15-point lead over Toyota, a gap that’s still achievable for Toyota but would require a flawless performance in Japan.
Hyundai is therefore certain to celebrate its first-ever drivers’ and co-drivers’ world championships. And the ultimate prize isn’t far off either.
Hyundai boss Abiteboul has a clear approach in mind for how his drivers will tackle the race in Japan.
“There is an interesting dynamic between the driver’s and the manufacturers’ championships. That’s very clear that Thierry will have to take a fairly conservative approach. And we totally understand that as a team,” Abiteboul told RallyJournal.com.
“On this side, Ott has nothing to lose and therefore he can be on the big push. Not in a way to destabilise Thierry, but simply in a way to score as many points as we can,” the French boss explained.
In Japan, Hyundai’s third car will be driven by Andreas Mikkelsen, who made a costly driving error in the previous round in Central Europe. High expectations are set for the Norwegian in the season finale.
“Andreas, we’ve seen also when things do not go against him, can be also bringing points to the team. So, we will definitely need him,” Abiteboul emphasised.
“Andreas and Ott are probably the ones holding the key to the manufacturers’ championship,” the team boss concluded.
