Thierry Neuville managed to edge slightly closer to claiming his first World Rally Championship with a measured third-place in the Rally Chile.
The Belgian navigated the tricky and thick Chilean fog to come home nearly 45 seconds behind rally-winner Kalle Rovanpera.
He now has a 29-point lead with just two rallies left – the Central European and the Rally Japan finale in November.
If he fails to wrap up the crown next time out, he could win it on his main rivals’ (Toyota) own stomping ground.
Thierry Neuville makes ‘obvious’ Hyundai claim
Throughout the weekend, a combination of fog and rain made the tyre strategy difficult for the cars to predict.
Neuville never appeared to have the pace to contend for victory – but he did what all great champions do and remained consistent.
The third place he secured means that he continues to be one of just two drivers, with Adrien Fourmaux being the other, that have scored at every round this season.
READ MORE: Rally Chile leader Kalle Rovanpera admits conditions ‘most challenging’ of the year
“We knew it would be a challenging weekend, obviously it was much more challenging than we expected not only because of the conditions but we didn’t have the performance package,” Neuville said, according to Dirtfish.
“It’s obvious to everyone we couldn’t match the Toyotas but we have two Tarmac rounds now, I’m happy the gravel is over.”
How could the rest of the championship unfold?
For his main rival – Ott Tanak to close Neuville down, it probably requires the Belgian to go scoreless at one of the final two events.
If the Estonian can outscore him at the Central European Rally, he will ensure that it goes down to the wire in Japan.
Sebastian Ogier is somewhat in the picture too, but he needs an unlikely win in both remaining rallies and to rely on bad luck for his rivals.
READ MORE: WRC stewards give key reason why Hyundai’s protest against Elfyn Evans’ Rally Chile lead failed
The Central European Rally bodes best for Neuville, who won the inaugural event in 2023, which was held across Germany, Austria, and Czech Republic.
The tarmac event is in three weeks time, giving drivers plenty of time to recover and rest ahead of the penultimate round of the season.