Because he initially continued with his damaged car on Friday, Thierry Neuville will be fined at the Rally Monte-Carlo
Reigning world rally champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) has been fined 10,000 euros for violating the sporting regulations of the World Rally Championship (WRC) at the 2025 Monte Carlo Rally.
Neuville and his co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe were penalized after the sixth stage on Friday for driving on a road stage with a car that was unable to rotate all four wheels freely. This violation of Article 34.1.5 of the WRC sporting regulations occurred after Neuville braked too late in a tight right-hand bend and crashed into an embankment. The rear left wheel suspension was damaged in the process.
As a result, the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 dragged the damaged rear wheel behind the vehicle for several kilometers before the damage was provisionally repaired. A report by the stewards of the meeting found that Neuville and Wydaeghe were unaware that the left rear wheel was not rotating freely until they were made aware of it by the FIA technical delegate. They then stopped to repair the damage.
The stewards’ report stated: “The driver explained that after the accident they continued driving several kilometers on the leg after the accident on SS6 (La Breole/Selonnet 1) without knowing that the left rear wheel was not rotating freely. The co-driver added that the time loss in the stage was not so significant, so they did not assume that the car was severely damaged.
Hyundai’s team manager explained that the engineers had discussed the situation, but initially assumed that the crew was aware of the damage. After the FIA technical delegate reported the situation, the team took action and told Neuville and Wydaeghe to stop immediately and repair the damage.
According to Article 34.1.5 of the WRC Sporting Regulations for 2025, vehicles may only be driven on public roads and at the start of a stage if all four wheels rotate freely. This regulation is intended for safety reasons and also states that a non-compliant vehicle must stop immediately and, if possible, be repaired.
The stewards concluded that Neuville did not gain any sporting advantage from the infringement, but that the safety regulations were disregarded. For this reason, they considered a fine to be appropriate.
