A couple of days ago the internet was abuzz with suggestions that Thierry Neuville was weighing up retiring at the end of the 2024 season.
Did he really mean it? Or was it posturing, a means to an end? We wanted to know more. So DirtFish reached out to Neuville to make sense of it all.
His words come against a backdrop of huge change being on the horizon in the World Rally Championship. Only weeks ago, David Richards and the WRC working group within the FIA laid out its thinking for a set of future regulations.
Suffice to say Neuville is not a fan: “I was surprised by the number of changes and how aggressive the changes were in such a short period,” he told DirtFish. “I think everybody was surprised.”
Neuville won this year's season opening Monte Carlo Rally for Hyundai
Speaking of surprise, there was plenty of that when reports this week suggested he might not be back in the WRC next year. Turns out, it was a classic case of hyperbole. If the manufacturers disappeared, he’s not going to stick around – that’s what he really meant.
“I just said that if manufacturers, in my case Hyundai, pulled out because the technology and the interest for the brand is not there anymore in this championship, I would probably retire next year,” he clarified. “But I would not have any choice.”
The ball is very much in Hyundai’s court. His stance couldn’t be clearer – if he’s offered a new contract to remain with Hyundai in the WRC, that’s where he’ll be in 2025.
“Yeah, if they want to carry on with me, sure,” Neuville affirmed. “There’s no question.”
