Thierry Neuville heads into Rally Sardinia this weekend with a clear mission: to close out the Rally1 era with a victory. The Belgian star has endured a difficult autumn, having failed to finish on the podium since June's Acropolis Rally Greece. His last outing in Chile ended in a heavy crash, forcing him to retire.
But Sardinia has always been a special place for Neuville. He has won there three times, and the island's demanding gravel roads bring out his competitive spirit. "Our target is clear – to fight for victory," he said confidently. "This is an event we have won in the past, so hopefully we have found what we need during our pre-event test to feel confident and be fast."
Neuville acknowledges the tough challenge ahead. "The biggest challenge here is the nature of the stages, which are technical, demanding and leave no room for mistakes," he explained. He also highlighted the importance of tyre management, especially with cooler weather than usual. Sardinia is typically held in summery conditions, but this edition takes place earlier, similar to 2020 when it ran in October.
The FIA, world motorsport's governing body, responded to the punctures at Rally Paraguay by increasing the number of permitted tyre changes for the final rounds of the season. The aim is to reduce the impact of tyres on the final result, but Sardinia's rocky roads will still provide a stern test. "Tyre management will also be crucial," Neuville stressed.
This weekend also marks the final appearance for the highly powerful Rally1 cars built to the current regulations. "In general, I think the cars of the last 10 years have been the most competitive ever in WRC. They have been super fast and spectacular, and I've enjoyed the different challenges of both the WRC and Rally1 cars," Neuville recalled. "It would be great to close out this era with a win."
Rally Sardinia begins on Friday morning with 17 special stages covering a total of 307 kilometres. The action starts with shakedown on Thursday morning. The rally, which concludes on Sunday, will also decide the World Rally Championship between Toyota drivers Elfyn Evans, Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg.
For Neuville, this is more than just a season finale. It's a chance to prove he can still compete at the highest level, despite a challenging season. A victory in Sardinia would be a sweet ending to the Rally1 era and a valuable boost heading into next season.
Baca Juga
Jari-Matti Latvala kembali memimpin Toyota di Rally Sardinia, di mana Elfyn Evans, Sami Pajari, dan Oliver Solberg bersaing ketat untuk gelar WRC pertama mereka.
Elfyn Evans memimpin WRC 2026 dengan keunggulan 17 poin menuju Sardinia. Akankah ini menjadi peluang terbaiknya meraih gelar juara dunia?
Hyundai bereaksi atas keputusan mengejutkan Dani Sordo yang akan tampil bersama co-driver baru Patricia Saiz di Rally Sardinia, penutup WRC 2026.
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