Neuville has never visited the top step of the podium at the high-speed gravel fixture before – and he recognises this weekend could be his best ever✤ chance of getting that monkey off his back𓆏. 

He star🅺ts Saturday less than seven seconds behind overnight leader Elfyn Evans, who inherited top spot when his Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Kalle Rovanpera crashed and rolled on the day’s ♑antepenultimate test. 

That allowed Neuville to gain another position having done soﷺ earlier on Friday when M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tanak was forced to retire his Puma Rally1 with what the Estonian described as a “dead” engine after damaging the sump guard on bed rock. 

Currently third in the World Rally Championship standings, a vi🌸ctory for Neuville would potentially move him ahead of 2021 Rally Finland winner Evans if the latter finishes𒊎 runner-up and claims less than four points on Sunday’s Power Stage.  

“Now we have no choice,” was Neuville’s honest assessment looking ahead. “Kalle – one of our ma🔜in contenders – is out and Elfyn is also in front of us in the Championship. We are fighting for a victory and we are going to go for it.” 

It was not a perfect Friday by any stretch of the imagination for Neuville who accidentally slowed before the🍌 flying finish boards on stage seven after a lapse in concentration and again on the nexꦜt stage when fans waved him to slow down 800-or-so metres away from the scene of Rovanpera’s crash. 

Despite theꦅse hiccups, he was generally satisfied with his work. “The day was good; I don’t think I have been in a position to fight for a win in Finland before,” he said. 

“It was very challenging – lots of grip c🌟hanges – but we kept it all under control. We worked a bit on the car to find more speed, but we could see the Toyotas were faster. We had to keep our rhythm and mak⭕e no mistakes. Tomorrow, we are going to push even harder.” 

While Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul believes Neuville and even Rally1 newcomer T♛eemu Suninen – fourth overall, 28.8 𝐆seconds behind Evans –  are “in the hunt for the rest of the rally”, he added: “We have seen today that things can change very quickly. We need to stay really focused on the job at hand.”