Thierry Neuville on the brink of WRC title in Japan

Thierry Neuville had a remarkable Saturday at the Rally Japan, edging closer to the title of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship. Alongside his co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe, Neuville climbed from 15th to 7th place in just seven stages, securing vital points that keep him on the brink of the title.

After mechanical issues on Friday caused by a turbocharger failure, Neuville managed to recover ground. He now needs only two points on Sunday to become the first Belgian driver to claim the championship. Neuville commented: "I’ve had enough setbacks during my career, but I’ve learned to stay calm and fight with what I have. That’s what we did today."

Ott Tänak, his teammate, is focused on securing the constructors' title for Hyundai. He started the day with a 20.9-second lead over Elfyn Evans, but that gap shrank to 15.3 seconds in the morning. In the afternoon, Tänak extended the advantage back to 38.0 seconds, leaving only five stages remaining. Hyundai leads Toyota by 11 points in the constructors' standings, keeping the championship wide open for the final day.

At Toyota, the drivers had a tough Saturday. Elfyn Evans kept the pressure on Tänak, while Sébastien Ogier recovered positions after a wheel change on Friday cost him two minutes. Ogier ended the day in third place after overtaking his teammate Takamoto Katsuta, who spun in stage 12, and Adrien Fourmaux of M-Sport. Fourmaux managed to hold off Katsuta, although the gap between them is only 6.1 seconds.

For Toyota, a flawless performance from their drivers and some help from M-Sport Ford will be essential to prevent Hyundai from claiming the title. Team principal Jari-Matti Latvala has urged his drivers to take an aggressive approach on Sunday, though he acknowledges that making up the 11-point deficit will not be easy. "It’s not impossible, but it will require an exceptional performance from everyone and maybe a little help from Ford," Latvala admitted.

In the WRC2 category, Nikolay Gryazin has extended his lead to 1 minute and 25.3 seconds over Sami Pajari, who could secure both the WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger titles on Sunday. Meanwhile, Hiroki Arai rounds out the top 10 in the overall standings.