Thierry Neuville was finally crowned WRC world rally champion on Sunday, November 24 after failing to finish second place no less than five times (and third three times), a consecration not only for the Belgian driver but also for the manufacturer Hyundai, for whom he has worked. running for ten years. This is the first individual victory for the South Korean company, which has participated in the WRC since 2014.
“I really don’t know what to say… But I think we deserve it.” The season was very complicated, we had a lot of pressure, especially this weekend. “We are very happy and relieved, so we will be able to work hard and hope to win the constructors’ title as well.”declared the Belgian at the end of the second special of the day on Sunday.
In fact, before the end of the race he was assured of victory in the world championship, since his teammate and opponent in the general classification, Ott Tänak, was the victim of an off-track during the first special of the day, which which thus gave him the advantage. qualification. Thierry Neuville finally took fifth place in this rally in Japan, beaten by the Welshman Elfyn Evans (Toyota).
At 36 years old, the native of Saint-Vith, in the German-speaking region of Belgium, had closed in with a comfortable cushion of 25 points ahead of the Estonian Ott Tänak. The latter, world champion in 2019 and leader of the race since Friday, lost control of his Huyndai, which got caught in the shoulder at the end of a right-hand bend.
His car, too damaged, did not allow him to have any hope of getting back on the road. Bad news for Huyndai, in its race for the constructors’ title (already won in 2019 and 2020), finally won by Toyota, in particular thanks to the success of Elfyn Evans.
This title and the success at home saved to a certain extent the season of the Japanese team that had won the last three drivers’ titles thanks to the Frenchman Sébastien Ogier (2021) and the Finnish Kalle Rovanperä (2022, 2023), who did not compete in full races . this year.
