World Rally Championship driver Thierry Neuville has ended weeks of speculation about his future by signing a multiyear deal with Hyundai, which was announced at the team’s base in Germany on Tuesday morning.
Neuville, a 25-year-old from Belgium, is one of the WRC’s hottest properties and is second in the drivers’ standings heading to the season finale in Great Britain. Neuville has scored six podiums, including four second-place finishes, in 2013.
Neuville will leave the former factory Ford team M-Sport to join Hyundai, which is returning to the WRC after a decade away from the sport. The move is set to trigger a flurry of driver moves with a number of pending deals set to fall into place.
“I am pleased to be joining Hyundai Motorsport for the 2014 World Rally Championship,” said Neuville who will continue his partnership with co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul. “I believe Hyundai Motorsport is the perfect fit for me because it is a young, emerging and ambitious manufacturer team with long-term objectives for championship success, and I have long held aspirations of driving for a manufacturer team.
“I was impressed with the team’s facility, their approach to the rally program and their clear potential. I hope my two years of experience in WRC will be beneficial to the team. We know we have a steep learning curve ahead of us in our first season, but I am convinced we will have a successful future together.”
Hyundai Motorsport chief Michel Nandan added, “I am thrilled to announce Thierry Neuville as the lead driver to our new WRC team. Thierry is having a fantastic 2013 season and is proving to be one of the most exciting young drivers in [the] WRC. His raw speed, driving skill and dynamic approach to rallying make him the ideal lead driver for Hyundai.”
Neuville’s current team boss at M-Sport, Malcolm Wilson, said he was “disappointed” to lose Neuville’s services after having offered the driver a long-term deal to stay at M-Sport last month.
“We are obviously disappointed that Thierry has made the decision to go to Hyundai after a strong performance from all the team this year,” Wilson said. “However, now that he has made the decision, our focus turns to Rally GB and securing his second position in the drivers’ championship. Once this goal is achieved, we will then re-direct our attention to the 2014 season. We are speaking to a number of drivers about potential options. M-Sport has a strong history of developing drivers in the WRC and we look forward to announcing our 2014 program in the near future.”
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