Thierry Neuville clambered out of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 for the final time, set what proved to be the fastest time and waved to the gathered crowd.
It had all the hallmarks of a goodbye, or at mimimum a ‘see you later’.
Neuville doesn’t know what the future holds for him, but whatever it is it’s clear he won’t be contesting a full WRC campaign in 2027.
Since becoming world champion in 2024, Neuville has struggled and perhaps lacked the same dogged determination he once posessed.
He feels a “little break” will help him reset.
“This was definitely not our best season,” Neuville told DirtFish, “but at least we were capable of bringing home one victory for the team this year. It was nearly two!
“But yeah, it has been a tough [time] out there since ’24. It has been generally tough and tougher and tougher as well. So, yeah, I’m relieved that it’s the end of the season now.
“Even though I don’t know what will be the future, I feel like a little break will be good for myself. We probably might be around next year, but in what circumstances, I don’t know exactly yet.
“So yeah, I think I will be very comfortable doing a bit less.”
Neuville has been a full-time driver in the WRC since 2012, when he drove for the Citroën Junior Team before a breakthrough campaign with M-Sport.
That unlocked a move to Hyundai where he has remained ever since.
“Honestly, there has been, I think, nobody doing so many consecutive seasons without missing any of the rounds,” Neuville said.
Neuville has been a permanent player in the WRC since 2012
“I just spoke to Jari-Matti [Latvala]. I think he did 12 (2007-2019), I did 15 full seasons. And before that I did Junior WRC and IRC at the same time, so I was going for 21 races per year.
“So it’s been a long chapter and that’s why I feel I will be comfortable with doing a bit less next year. But who knows? Maybe the energy and the fighting spirit comes back after a little bit calmer season and then we see.”
Neuville would be far from the only recent world champion to take a step back or sabbatical.
Sébastien Ogier regressed to a part-time program from 2022, Kalle Rovanperä contested a partial season in 2024 before returning for a full year in 2025 and then stepping away from the WRC altogether, while Ott Tänak took a sabbatical this season.
With Neuville now set for a smaller schedule in 2027, that means the only 2020s world champion not to step back is new world champion Elfyn Evans.
