Thierry Neuville finally world champion

Thierry Neuville was finally crowned WRC world rally champion on Sunday November 24 after failing to finish second place no less than five times (and third place three times), a consecration not only for the Belgian driver but also for the manufacturer Hyundai for which he has been running for ten years. This is the first individual victory for the South Korean firm, which has been involved in the WRC since 2014.

“I don’t really know what to say… But I think we deserve it.” The season was very complicated, we had a lot of pressure, especially this weekend. We are very happy and relieved so we will be able to push hard to hope to also win the constructor’s title”declared the Belgian at the end of the second special stage of the day on Sunday.

He was in fact assured of winning the world championship even before the end of the race because his teammate and opponent for the general classification, Ott Tänak, was the victim of an off-track during the first special of the day, giving him thus the title. Thierry Neuville finally took fifth place on this Japan rally, won by Welshman Elfyn Evans (Toyota).

At 36, the native of Saint-Vith, in the German-speaking region of Belgium, had approached with a comfortable mattress of 25 points ahead of the Estonian Ott Tänak. The latter, world champion in 2019, and leader of the race since Friday, lost control of his Huyndai, which was lodged in the shoulder at the end of a right curve.

His car, too damaged, did not allow him to hope to get back on the road. Bad news for Huyndai, in its race for the manufacturer's title (already won in 2019 and 2020), finally won by Toyota, in particular thanks to the success of Elfyn Evans.

This title and the success at home somewhat saved the season of the Japanese team which had won the last three pilot titles thanks to the Frenchman Sébastien Ogier (2021) and the Finnish Kalle Rovanperä (2022, 2023), who did not compete in full races this year.