When you hear the words “perfect harmony”, what comes to mind?
Something idyllic, like teaching the world to sing, for instance? Or maybe a meal in a Michelin starred restaurant, where all the flavors on your plate have been expertly balanced to deliver a taste sensation?
Whatever image may pop into your head, the point is that those particular words are not used lightly. They are reserved for things that are special – things that are absolutely flawless.
And that’s exactly the reason why we hardly ever hear them said in rallying circles, a sport that’s all about compromises and doing the best you can in difficult conditions.
But they are the precise words Thierry Neuville used to sum up his masterful victory on the World Rally Championship’s season opener.
Upon returning to Monte Carlo after a weekend where the Belgian took huge risks to gain time, but somehow always seemed in total control of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 – save for a spin on Friday morning’s SS4 – Neuville revealed the secret behind his second Monte success.
“It felt in control the whole weekend,” the five-time WRC runner-up told DirtFish. “We had maybe one moment where we were a little bit late on the brakes but we still made the corner. It was the only moment we had this weekend, and other than this I really felt in control.”
Neuville couldn't hide his satisfaction with a "perfect" performance
“[We were] in perfect harmony with the car. The gravel crew has done a good job also, so that’s really important as well. When it all comes together, performances like this are possible.”
Perfect harmony? Have we ever heard those words before on the Monte Carlo Rally?
“I don’t know!” replied Neuville. “It was even for us a surprise that it was working that well, that the car was working so good in all circumstances that we faced this weekend basically.”
But it wasn’t just the words the now two-time Monte winner was using that were a surprise last weekend, it was the way they were delivered. Neuville oozed confidence and spoke with conviction in a way that he hadn’t done the last time he won the WRC season opener in 2020.
He was operating on a level above any of his challengers from Saturday onwards, and he knew it. That confidence came across in his stage-end interviews.
“We did a good stage. It was… perfection,” he said after his stunning drive to pip nine-time Monte winner Sébastien Ogier by 4.1s on Saturday’s closing stage, a time which vaulted Neuville into a lead that secured him 18 championship points under the WRC’s new-for-2024 system, and which he would never relinquish.
That ‘cock of the walk’ demeanor was even more evident as Neuville arrived atop the Col de Turini and emerged triumphantly from his car after notching up his 20th WRC victory.
“We were the boss this weekend,” the rally winner said with a cheeky wink and a smile, before waltzing off to celebrate with the team.
'The boss' celebrates with his boss
So how have Neuville and Hyundai achieved the “perfection” that’s given the 35-year-old a fresh dose of conviction? For driver himself, the answer is simple. Everything is finally clicking within the Alzenau-based squad.
“Already last year we were fighting for victory in Japan before we crashed,” said Neuville. “We won Central European Rally; the speed has been there already last year. But the target is to get everything together, everybody working hard to achieve great results, and I feel like we’re on a good way.”
