Thierry Neuville admits that he had better feeling with his car in comparison with the previous versions of Rally Finland and is happy that he returned back to the podiums on this gravel event while he knows that his chances are getting smaller for this year's title.
The Belgian was fighting with Elfyn Evans for the lead of Rally Finland after Kalle Rovanpera's retirement in Stage 8, but the Toyota driver built a safety net as he set fastest times almost in all stages on Saturday and Sunday, therefore Neuville knew that he had no chance to catch Evans's pace. However, it must be mentioned that TN lost some time as he slowed down at the yellow signs after facing problems with the wipers, but his second place was not under threat by Takamoto Katsuta and Teemu Suninen. Finally, Neuville returned back to the podium positions in Finland after ten years as 2013 was the last year that he finished again second overall there driving a Ford Fiesta RS WRC.
"It’s good to be back on the podium", Neuville said.
"I mean, the last couple of years in Finland have been a struggle for me, but generally for Hyundai as well.
"It has always been difficult.
"I know I can drive fast but I need to trust the car, even more here than on any other rally - especially when the road is like this weekend, hard and the tyre can’t bite.
"It was always a struggle for me but this weekend at least the car gave me confidence to push.
"We are happy with the performance but also the way we are improving.
"Definitely, Estonia and here were the most difficult events of the year for us and we have improved quite a lot.
"There’s a small hope for the championship, but already getting more victories and podiums from this weekend until the end of the year would be a nice achievement".
Source: wrc.com
Photo Credits: Hyundai
Post a Comment