For Thierry Neuville, the World Championship fight in Japan has taken a bad turn: Due to technical problems, the Hyundai driver must fear for his World Championship title
Having traveled to Japan as the clear favorite, Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville suddenly has to fear for his first title in the World Rally Championship (WRC)! On the first day of the Japan Rally (read about it here!), the Belgian struggled with technical problems in his Hyundai i20 N Rally 1 Hybrid.
A sudden loss of power left Neuville almost eight minutes behind his leading teammate and title rival Ott Tänak. “Of course, this is the worst thing that could have happened to us this weekend,” admits the 36-year-old.
“I would have rather had a puncture than lose seven minutes with a technical problem, but this shows that the lead we have built up over the course of the year is really crucial,” Neuville alludes to his cushion of 25 points. ‘Hopefully all this hard work will pay off and we will be rewarded.’
Hyundai suspects turbocharger problem
However, the problem with his Hyundai seems to be so serious that the mechanics were unable to find a solution during the lunch break on Friday and the gap to the top widened further in the afternoon.
The team itself is surprised by the problem, because reliability this year has been significantly better than in previous years. Neuville has only had to deal with technical problems once this season, when his Hyundai started stuttering in Kenya and was only running on the electric motor for a while.
Hyundai team manager Christian Loriaulx suspects that the current problem is related to the turbocharger because Neuville suddenly lost boost pressure on the fourth stage. However, he is confident that the engine has not been damaged as a result of the problems.
Hyundai apologizes to Neuville
“Thierry [Neuville] had a brand new turbo for this rally and the rest are fairly proven parts,”
“We know that he has lost boost and that the wastegate is not working. We don’t know if it’s the electric coil, the box or the wiring in between. We will try to find out tonight and change everything to make sure we fix it.”
Loraiulx apologized to Neuville while also praising the way the Belgian handles difficulties that arise at the most inopportune moment in the title fight. “We are all fighting for everything, and sometimes a driver makes a mistake, sometimes the team makes a mistake. We have had good reliability this year.”
“This is really a blow and very frustrating because it puts us under pressure and in a difficult situation, and we really want to apologize to Thierry for this,” says the experienced engineer. “Despite the problem, he reacted very professionally, kept calm and brought the car back without losing his nerve.”
Sorry doesn’t make Neuville “happier”
“I wouldn’t have made it. I would have kicked the steering wheel and shouted at everyone, but we apologize again,” emphasizes Loraiulx. “It’s not over yet, we have to stay positive and keep pushing.”
For Neuville, however, the apology is not worth much. “Of course they can apologize, but that won’t change the situation, and it certainly won’t make me happier,” admits the Belgian. “Nevertheless, we have to see what the problem is.”
Neuville is confident that he will be able to score points again on Saturday. “I’m not sure if we can say that the team is responsible for the problem. We know that things can happen in motorsport, but of course they have to make sure that they can fix the car for tomorrow.”
Situation for Tänak “still very difficult”
For teammate Tänak, there is now the chance to win his second world championship title after 2019 (when he was still driving for Toyota). But the situation remains unchanged for the Estonian. “There is nothing I have to think about. I can only do what I am doing,” says the 37-year-old.
“It was very frustrating for the team because the morning started very positively, with Toyota having two cars with punctures on the first stage and everything under control. And then sometimes you are surprised how quickly things can change and you have your back to the wall.”
Despite the battle with Neuville, Hyundai also has to hold its own in the manufacturers’ championship. “I had to fight with the Toyotas to stay ahead of them to protect the team, and we’ll see what tomorrow brings,” Tänak sums up. “It’s still very difficult.”