Thierry Neuville is eyeing the 2024 World Rally Championship title after the recent event at Acropolis Rally Greece.
The Belgian took victory around the Lamia course in what was his second win of the season, having won the season opener in Monaco.
Neuville extended his lead in the championship to 34 points, with Hyundai teammate Ott Tanak moving up into second over Sebastien Ogier, after the Frenchman rolled his Toyota after suffering a puncture on Sunday.
Hyundai have also extended their lead over Toyota in the manufacturers’ championship to 35 points with just three rallies of the season yet to run.
Speaking with the WRC website, Neuville explained how he has been able to get the edge over his competitors in 2024.
Thierry Neuville explains his low-risk approach that has brought him success in 2024
The 36-year-old has never won the WRC title, having finished runner-up five times. But his performances this season have put him in a great position to finally end his winless streak.
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Along with his two wins in Monaco and Greece, Neuville has secured another three podiums. In fact, the Belgian has only finished outside the top five twice in Sardinia and Latvia.
While Neuville lauded over his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car and its performance on this year’s courses, he explained how his low risk-taking approach has benefitted him in 2024.
“We have a car which is fast on every single event, which hasn’t always been the case in previous years,” he said.
“I have been taking less risks on some of the events than I did in the past because, with less risks, I can still keep up with the others and with the best.
“That helps a lot, for sure, but we also have new engineers, we have restructured the technical departments, and we have a new team principal. We have a new methodology of work which gives us a good car, and, with a good car, everything is a bit more easy.”
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Hyundai extend their lead in both championship standings
As the WRC heads to Chile for round 11 of the championship, Hyundai are in a good place to claim both titles.
Toyota suffered a significant blow to their title hopes in Greece after Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta all encountered issues and crashes across the weekend. Hyundai capitalised on their rivals’ struggles with one-two-three finish
Ogier, who is eyeing a record-equalling ninth title, has slipped behind Tanak to third, 38 points off of championship leader Neuville.
Toyota’s team principal Jari-Matti Latvala has urged his driver to forget about both championships as he focuses his attention on winning the final rounds in Chile, Central Europe and their home race in Japan.