Neuville ignites WRC title push with Rally Sardinia win

Thierry Neuville leapt from fifth to second in the FIA World Rally Championship standings on Sunday afternoon after clinching a long-awaited victory at Rally Sardinia.

The Belgian (above) headed home Hyundai Motorsports teammate Esapekka Lappi by 33.0s in a dream 1-2 finish for the Korean marque and its hybrid i20 N Rally1 machines.

The result — Neuville’s 18th WRC career success alongside co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe — was the first win of the 2023 season for both Neuville and his team, helping Hyundai to move within 23 points of Toyota Gazoo Racing in the WRC manufacturers’ standings.

The rally lead changed hands a staggering nine times during the fast and furious, all-gravel Mediterranean island fixture until Neuville seized the initiative when erstwhile leader Sebastien Ogier put his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 off the road on Saturday’s rain-hit penultimate test.

Neuville also surpassed Lappi, who celebrated his third-consecutive top-three finish, in the same stage and managed his comfortable advantage through Sunday’s four-stage finale.

“Obviously it was a challenging weekend,” said Neuville, who now trails Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera by 25 points in the WRC drivers’ standings after six of 13 rounds. “We came here with the belief that we could fight for victory, but the first day was challenging and we lost a bit of time. Yesterday we found ourselves in the lead and we had to manage it until the end.

“It’s the first victory for the team this year, it’s a 1-2, and the first win for our team principal [Cyril Abiteboul] as well. Craig Breen [who died in a pre-Croatia Rally testing accident in April] is in our memories also — we wanted the win in Croatia for him, but we got it now.”

Thierry Neuville’s Rally Sardinia win thrusts him into the thick of the WRC title battle. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Rovanpera completed the podium in third overall, the reigning WRC champ’s best result out of five Rally Sardinia attempts, and ended his Sunday with fastest time in the rally-closing, bonus-points paying Wolf Power Stage. 

Although Rovanpera trailed fellow Finn Lappi by 1m22.3s at the finish, the high rate of attrition saw him end the rally a sizeable 3m25.2s clear of fourth-placed Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans. Evans struggled to get into a rhythm in his GR Yaris and dropped around three minutes on Saturday when the car’s radiator sustained damage in a water crossing.

Toyota’s reigning WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera finished third to maintain his 2023 points lead. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT photo

Dani Sordo almost made it three Hyundais in the top five, but retired after Sunday’s second stage due to an exhaust issue. It brought an early end to what been a turbulent weekend for the Spaniard, having previously rolled his i20 N on Friday morning.