Eight years after winning the Rally Portugal for the first time in 2018, Neuville managed to repeat the feat. Neuville reacted happily and relieved. “Every victory is special, but we needed this one for different reasons. Firstly, to wipe the clean sheet off the board this season and to take revenge for what happened in Croatia. Also to regain the confidence and motivation within the team. I think it is very good and that is why this victory was so important. But that is also the reason why it was so difficult, especially with all the pressure we had before the last stage. We really had to hold on until the end.”
Before the start of that ride, Neuville felt a lot of stress. “That was mainly due to the weather conditions, because rain was actually forecast right when we were going to start. We were also stressed because we knew how important this victory was for the team and that we could have lost it. But in the end God was with us, the god of the rally, but also the god of the weather.” Neuville had a message for his mother and his wife. “It’s Mother’s Day so I congratulated my mum and my wife. I’m really looking forward to going home tomorrow to celebrate with them.”
