The error at the crucial moment
The last rally of the championship seemed ready to celebrate the return to victory of Thierry Neuville, who, with a lead of over a minute over Takamoto Katsuta on the eve of the Power Stage in Croatia, was now just a step away from success. Instead, incredibly, the Belgian Hyundai driver made a mistake precisely in the last stage before the ‘chequered flag’, sustaining damage to the i20N that forced him to retire.
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Apologies to the team
A twist that handed the victory to the Japanese Toyota driver, now leading the world championship. For the 2024 world champion, it was a low blow that particularly disheartened him, both for the missed chance to return to victory after the 2025 Saudi Arabia Rally and for putting Hyundai ahead of everyone for the first time this season: “First of all, I would like to express my apologies to the entire team, to everyone who works with me throughout the year – commented Neuville – it’s a huge disappointment for me and Martijn (Wydaeghe, co-driver). We didn’t expect it, but unfortunately, rallying can strike even on the last special stage. We were driving according to plan and our goal was simply to get through the special stage, but unfortunately, we were caught by surprise in that corner. I probably turned in a bit too early and my first reaction was to accelerate, and then the accident happened”.
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Never give up
For Neuville, the Croatia Rally thus ended with enormous disappointment, but for the Belgian, as well as for Hyundai, there will still be a chance to make amends in the upcoming events, starting with the Canary Islands Rally, scheduled from April 23 to 26: “It will be a difficult period for us, but we have no choice but to come back stronger and keep fighting. We will not give up and our moment will come again”.
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