‘Once you taste the WRC title, you want more...

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

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

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

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

“It’s at all times like this with the whole lot. For certain, positively what I need to do is give it the whole lot like now we have executed within the different years. If the whole lot comes collectively we must be up there. 

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

“In any other case I’d say the strain to carry out, the strain to ship for the group and the strain to be the most effective remains to be the identical. 

“It is going to be thrilling, it is going to be difficult and it is going to be robust. I’m certain that this strain shall be benefiting us to repeatedly preserve pushing as exhausting 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 identical, there shall be ups and downs like at all times.

“We now have to beat these challenges, and face them and attempt to do the most effective – however with an identical technique to final 12 months desirous about the factors and the championship

“I believe it is going to 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 battle.”

Neuville’s title defence will start with one of many WRC’s most demanding occasions in Monte Carlo, which shall 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 strategy for Monte Carlo and I believe it is going to be a special Monte Carlo than in earlier years with some extra wintry situations. It received’t be simple however hopefully we are able to get begin into the season.

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