Thierry Neuville says the starvation for a second World Rally Championship title is stronger than ever heading into the Monte Carlo season opener because the defending champion for the primary time.
Neuville will start his title defence this week in Monte Carlo after lastly attaining his final dream final season, as he solid apart the tagline of being the championship’s perennial runner-up.
The Hyundai driver admitted final yr that successful the title supplied a major strain launch after years of striving to succeed in the top of rallying.
Heading into the brand new season with the #1 on the facet of his Hyundai i20 N, the Belgian says the success of final yr has additional fuelled his needs for extra title glory.
“Positively [hungry for another title], when you style it you need extra,” Neuville advised Motorsport.com.
“It’s all the time like this with every part. For certain, undoubtedly what I need to do is give it every part like we have now carried out within the different years. If every part comes collectively we needs to be up there.
“General I might say that we have now clearly taken a little bit of weight off our shoulders for the title combat and that title is one thing we have now been chasing for some time.
Worldchampion Thierry Neuville, Hyundai World Rally Group
Picture by: Vincent Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport
“In any other case I might say the strain to carry out, the strain to ship for the group and the strain to be one of the best remains to be the identical.
“It will likely be thrilling, it is going to be difficult and it is going to be robust. I’m certain that this strain will probably be benefiting us to constantly maintain pushing as exhausting as we are able to.”
When requested if now being a world rally champion might truly assist him carry out even higher in 2025, he added: “I don’t know. I feel the challenges would be the similar, there will probably be ups and downs like all the time.
“We’ve to beat these challenges, and face them and attempt to do one of the best – however with an analogous technique to final yr desirous about the factors and the championship
“I feel it is going to be 4 to 5 drivers [in the title fight] with Ott [Tanak], Kalle [Rovanpera], Elfyn [Evans] and perhaps even Adrien [Fourmaux] becoming a member of the combat.”
Neuville’s title defence will start with one of many WRC’s most demanding occasions in Monte Carlo, which will probably be even trickier for crews this yr following the introduction of recent Hankook tyres and the FIA’s transfer to take away hybrid energy from Rally1 vehicles.
“We’re all clearly lacking expertise with the brand new tyres and we are able to solely get extra expertise now doing the rally,” he added.
“I feel we must have a intelligent strategy for Monte Carlo and I feel it is going to be a distinct Monte Carlo than in earlier years with some extra wintry situations. It gained’t be simple however hopefully we are able to get a great begin into the season.
“I might be completely satisfied to be on the rostrum and happy to be there however very completely satisfied to be on the highest step.”
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