‘When you style the WRC title, you need extra’

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 forged apart the tagline of being the championship’s perennial runner-up.

The Hyundai driver admitted final 12 months that profitable the title offered a major strain launch after years of striving to achieve the head of rallying.

Heading into the brand new season with the #1 on the aspect of his Hyundai i20 N, the Belgian says the success of final 12 months has additional fuelled his wishes for extra title glory.

“Positively [hungry for another title], when you style it you need extra,” Neuville informed Motorsport.com.

“It’s at all times like this with all the things. For certain, undoubtedly what I need to do is give it all the things like we now have accomplished within the different years. If all the things comes collectively we ought to be up there.

“General I might say that we now have clearly taken a little bit of weight off our shoulders for the title combat and that title is one thing we now have been chasing for some time.

“In any other case I might say the strain to carry out, the strain to ship for the workforce and the strain to be the very best remains to be the identical.

“It will likely be thrilling, it will likely be difficult and it will likely be robust. I’m certain that this strain might be benefiting us to constantly preserve pushing as onerous as we are able to.”

When requested if now being a world rally champion may truly assist him carry out even higher in 2025, he added: “I don’t know. I believe the challenges would be the similar, there might be ups and downs like at all times.

“We’ve to beat these challenges, and face them and attempt to do the very best – however with an identical technique to final 12 months fascinated about the factors and the championship

“I believe it will likely 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 might be even trickier for crews this 12 months following the introduction of latest 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 believe we should have a intelligent method for Monte Carlo and I believe it will likely be a distinct Monte Carlo than in earlier years with some extra wintry situations. It received’t be straightforward however hopefully we are able to get a very good begin into the season.

“I might be completely happy to be on the rostrum and happy to be there however very completely happy to be on the highest step.”