P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville kept his FIA World Rally Championship title ambitions on track by passing Toyota Gazoo Racing rival Sebastien Ogier for the lead of the Central European Rally after Frida…
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville passed Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Sebastien Ogier for the lead of the Central European Rally, maintaining his FIA World Rally Championship title ambitions on Friday. Neuville holds a 6.4s lead over Ogier and 7.8s ahead of his Hyundai teammate Ott Tanak after a challenging day of narrow, slippery asphalt stages in the Czech Republic and Germany. Despite a strong start by Ogier, Neuville took the lead on the third test, Sumavske Hostice 1 stage, with both drivers closely matched throughout the leg. Neuville must outscore Tanak by two points and limit losses to Ogier and Toyota’s Elfyn Evans to secure the WRC crown with two days remaining. While Hyundai has two cars in the top three, the team faces pressure to maintain its lead in the WRC manufacturers’ title race after Andreas Mikkelsen’s crash. The day ended with just a 15.1s gap between the top four drivers, with Evans in fourth, 7.1s behind Tanak.
