Neuville finds silver lining in Acropolis heartbreak
It was a brutal end to a weekend that promised so much for Thierry Neuville. Driving for the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team, he led the Acropolis Rally for days, locked in an intense battle with Sébastien Ogier. Then, reality struck on Aghii Theodori 2. Two rear tyre deflations destroyed his shot at a third win in Greece, leaving him to cross the line 58.3sec behind Ogier. It is a tough pill to swallow for anyone, especially when you have been fighting with such intensity.
Yet, the Belgian is looking past the misery of the result. Neuville admitted that the true takeaway was his newfound confidence inside the i20 N Rally1. After a rough start to the year, feeling that comfort behind the wheel felt almost foreign, reminiscent of the classic battles he used to trade with Ogier on a regular basis. He noted, “I actually realised it has been a very, very long time since I felt that comfortable. I nearly forgot that feeling.”
When it comes to the puncture-lottery that cost him the lead, Neuville remains pragmatic. Despite the frustration of losing out without even feeling a clear impact on the rocks, he refuses to play the blame game. As the WRC heads toward the high-speed stages in Estonia and Finland, he remains cautiously optimistic. He knows the conditions are tough, but the machine is finally talking to him again—and that is a dangerous weapon for the rest of the field.
