Neuville Amazed by Toyota at Rally Finland: 'Like Nothing Happened'

Thierry Neuville was left in awe of Toyota's resilience at Rally Finland. The 2024 World Rally Champion admitted the Japanese squad switched into "rocket mode" once road positions changed.

Neuville's own rally unravelled on Friday when his suspension broke after hitting a rock. But even from the sidelines, he could see Toyota operating on another level.

"We were only able to match them when they were sweeping the road on Friday morning," Neuville told Belgian broadcaster RTBF. "Once the road positions changed, Toyota switched into rocket mode."

Baca JugaKatsuta Minta Maaf ke Toyota Usai Insiden di Finlandia

His comments came after Toyota locked out the podium at its home event, with Sami Pajari leading Oliver Solberg and Elfyn Evans. The result could have been even more emphatic had Sebastien Ogier not crashed from the lead on Saturday, while Takamoto Katsuta also hit trouble over the weekend.

Neuville highlighted one particular strength of the Toyota Rally1 car: its ability to land gracefully. "Those cars always land back on all four wheels. Everything still works," he said.

He was referring to Katsuta's mistake on the Power Stage, where the Japanese driver hit a tree head-on but managed to continue to the finish. "Like nothing had happened," Neuville added.

Despite that, the incident cost Katsuta fifth place overall, dropping him behind Neuville. For Toyota, the Finland result reinforced their dominance on fast gravel, a terrain where they have long been formidable.