This archive report was first published on 17 October 2021.
Sebastien Ogier's pursuit of an eighth world rally championship title hit a roadblock as Hyundai's Thierry Neuville secured a hard-fought victory at the Rally of Spain on Sunday, October 17, 2021.
Spaniard Dani Sordo dominated the final stages, winning all four on Sunday, but Neuville's overnight lead proved sufficient to secure a 24.1-second margin over Ogier's Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans.
Neuville's win marked his 15th rally victory and kept him in third position in the championship, albeit out of contention for the title.
For Ogier, who entered the rally with a 24-point lead, the result saw his advantage trimmed to 17 points, with the Rally of Monza in Italy remaining as the final hurdle in November.
Reflecting on the outcome, Ogier acknowledged, 'Coming here I was targeting higher, but for some reason it didn’t happen. We still took what we needed for the championship.'
Neuville, meanwhile, expressed relief at securing the win, saying, 'Relieved to be at the end. It was a tough weekend but we fought very hard. We had a good clean run and until near the end everything was perfect.'
However, his victory was marred by a late starting problem before the final stage, which added to his stress levels.
