As the 2024 World Rally Championship heads towards its final two rallies of the year, Thierry Neuville is looking on course for his maiden title.
The Belgian has no doubt been a success in WRC since his made his first appearance in 2009 as a private entry. In his career, at the time of writing, Neuville has collected 21 wins, 68 podiums and 406 stage wins.
But despite this success, it has been an agonising time for the 36-year-old as he has not been able to get over the final hurdle and win the title. Neuville has finished second in the championship five times and third three times.
In 2024, the Belgian is in a good position to finally break his duck and claim the WRC title, as he leads the standings by 29 points, grabbing two wins and five podiums this year so far.
But with 60 points still up for grabs, it will not be plain and simple for Neuville as he will be under increased pressure to seal the deal.
Ott Tanak is looking to fight Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville for the title
For much of the season, Sebastien Ogier has been Neuville’s main threat in his quest for the championship. The Belgian has finished second to Ogier for four of his eight WRC titles.
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The Frenchman had been competing part-time in the series this year, with Ogier expressing his desire to pursue other interests outside of WRC. However, after winning his third event of the year at Rally Finland, the 40-year-old announced that he would be taking part in the final four rallies of the year to fight for his record-equalling ninth title.
But after two disappointing events in Greece and Chile, Neuville’s main threat to his maiden title now is Ott Tanak; his Hyundai teammate. The Estonian has secured one win and five podiums this year so far, finishing third in the last two rallies.
With 29 points separating the teammates and 60 points up for grabs, all Neuville has to do is beat Tanak at the Central European Rally to claim the title. Sounds simple enough, and one would think that Hyundai may favour Neuville considering that he has led the championship since he won the season opener in Monaco.
But Tanak, who won the 2019 title, is not out of the running just yet and the 36-year-old is looking to take the fight to Neuville at the final two rallies.
Neuville is hoping to avoid an ‘internal battle’ with Tanak for the title and is hoping to wrap the championship up as quickly as possible. But with Estonian seemingly not willing to back down, Neuville will have to keep his cool and ensure he stays ahead of his teammate.
Toyota are back in the hunt for the manufacturers’ championship after Rally Chile
The Belgian has another good reason for wanting to avoid a fight with Tanak, as while it is almost guaranteed that a Hyundai driver will win the drivers’ championship, the Korean outfit is not nailed on to win the Manufacturers’ Championship.
After a disastrous weekend at Acropolis Rally Greece, it looked to be all but over for Toyota and their hopes for the title. Team principal Jari-Matti Latvala even urged his drivers to forget about the championship and focus on performing well in the final three events.
At Rally Chile, this approach seemed to work a treat for Toyota. Kalle Rovanpera secured his fourth win of the year over teammate Elfyn Evans as Hyundai did not have an answer for their rivals, with Tanak and Neuville coming home third and fourth respectively.
The result meant Toyota cut Hyundai’s lead down from 35 points to 17 with two rallies to go, leaving it all to play for at the Central European Rally and Rally Japan.
The pressure is on the Korean manufacturer to secure both titles in 2024. Neuville will be desperate to grab his maiden WRC crown, but he will have to keep his charging teammate Tanak and the Toyotas at bay for the next two events if he is to walk away, at long last, victorious.