THIERRY NEUVILLE
Cool as a cucumber and with confidence to match, Neuville is known for his colourful taste in watches and glasses. He has finished runner-up in the championship on five occasions and is desperate to make 2023 the year when he secures a maiden title.
| Nationality | BEL |
| Date of Birth | 16.06.1988 |
| Birthplace | Saint Vith, Belgium |
| First Rally | 2009, Rally RACC |
| Co-Driver | Martijn Wydaeghe |
| WRC wins | 18 |
| WRC podiums | 59 |
| WRC stage wins | 345 |
| Website | http://www.thierryneuville.be/ |
The story so far
Having cut his teeth on events in his homeland of Belgium as a teenager, he kicked off his first international rallying campaign in 2010 when he contested the FIA Junior World Rally Championship. He scored one win and a podium and also notched up some useful results in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in S2000 machinery.
In 2011, Neuville claimed IRC victories in Corsica and Sanremo and this prompted Citroën’s WRC squad to offer him a full season in its Junior World Rally Team in 2012. After finishing seventh in the 2012 championship, he was quickly snapped up by the Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team for a full assault on the 2013 series.
Driving a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Neuville claimed four consecutive runner-up finishes and three third places to clinch second in the drivers’ championship.
This kind of form ensured Neuville emerged as the hottest property on the transfer market and he signed a multi-year agreement to be the lead driver at Hyundai’s new WRC team in 2014.
Neuville wrung the most out of the ever-improving i20 WRC in its debut season and finished on the podium three times. His first podium came in Mexico, thanks in part to a bottle of Corona lager that he used to refill a broken radiator.
Delays to the development of Hyundai’s new car created a frustrating 2015 but Neuville was revitalised in 2016. He ended the year with a run of five podiums to take second in the points.
The 2017 and 2018 seasons brought glimpses of brilliance from Neuville, but it wasn’t enough to hold back Sébastien Ogier in the race for the drivers’ title. Despite leading the standings during both campaigns, he ended as runner-up on both occasions.
Despite three wins in 2019 and one in 2020, Neuville fell short again. He split with long-term co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul less than a week before the 2021 season opener and joined forces with fellow countryman Martijn Wydaeghe.
The duo hit it off immediately and claimed two wins - one of which came during their home round in Belgium – but their performances were only good enough to secure third in the championship. It was a similar story in 2022 when the pair again finished third.
If one thing’s certain, it’s that Neuville won’t lack any motivation in his tenth season with the Korean squad in 2023.
