Thierry Neuville believes last weekend’s Rally Finland was “too fast” following an unusual number of high-profile crashes at the fast gravel World Rally Championship event.
Finland is renowned for its ultra fast gravel stages, with this year’s event the second fastest in WRC history clocking an average speed of 128.2km/h – falling just shy of the record set last year.
Neuville had predicted that the rally, comprising a route where 66% of the stages were different compared with last year, and without virtual chicanes, would be the fastest ever, a feat that could have been achieved if Friday’s rain had abated.
The 2024 world champion was among a lengthy list of drivers to hit trouble during the event, damaging his front left suspension after running wide in stage five. However, his accident was minor compared to those of his Rally1 rivals, as Sebastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans, Martins Sesks and Esapekka Lappi all rolled their cars.
When asked about the challenges of the event and the amount of drama that unfolded, Neuville told Autosport: “It’s the speed. It’s super, super fast and honestly, it was too fast. The average speeds are 145km/h, 147km/h. In some of the sections, it’s just too fast and the roads were too straight.
“The rally should be slower. That’s the fastest Rally Finland l’ve ever done.”
While Neuville was forthright in his opinion of the speeds crews were having to undertake, his rivals didn’t share his view.
“If you say the rally is too fast, they will just put chicanes in and it will not change anything or make any difference,” championship leader Evans told Autosport.
Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
“I don’t think [there is any reason for the crashes] I think everybody is just pushing and it is part of the sport nowadays. I think, because the cars don’t slide people think we’re not going that fast sometimes, but I can say we are [going fast].
“Obviously, the margins are small and the capabilities of the car are amazing and you really have to be on it to make a difference. Of course, the margins are super small, it can happen.”
In his response to Neuville’s comments, team-mate Adrien Fourmaux said: “The rally is too fast as soon as you become too old.” But he did explain that inconsistent grip contributed to rise in big accidents.
“There were only three cars that have not been damaged this weekend,” he added. “It’s Sami [Pajari], Oliver [Solberg], and myself. All the rest have damaged the car somewhere in the trees or a roll. Everybody had some moments, that is clear. The grip this year compared to last year was much more inconsistent. It was changing a lot more and the surface was a lot more compact and it’s hard for the tyre to dig in.”
M-Sport-Ford’s Jon Armstrong feels that drivers have simply been forced into taking more risks to try and find an advantage as the competition at the sharp end has become incredibly tight.
“There’s been a lot of crashes,” Armstrong told Autosport. “There’s the Rally TV side where we can all watch what each other are doing, and like I said, you can prepare and understand how flat out you should go.
Jon Armstrong, Shane Byrne, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1
Photo by: M-Sport
“But it also means that everyone’s very close in terms of performance, so you have to start taking more risks in more places, try to find more speed from other sections that maybe you wouldn’t necessarily want to try and go that fast.
“But, if something goes wrong or you have a slightly wrong line, it’s very easy for it to end up with an accident. So, I feel like that’s what’s been happening, and it’s definitely a shame. But like I said, that’s entertainment for rallying. But we don’t want to be taking the risks quite as much as that at the speed that we’re doing when it’s over 150km/h. When you put the helmet on, that’s the important thing. You just focus on the speed, and that’s what we’re here to do.
“If you have an accident here, it’s not going to be a small one. But it’s not like we don’t have other dangerous rallies as well. It just comes with the sport and there’s ways that they can slow the stages down a bit with maybe some chicanes like that. But it’s Rally Finland, so that [the speed] is what everyone loves. I’m sure they can find some slower roads as well. But the problem is they get a little bit more destroyed.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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