The stewards of Rallye Monte Carlo gave to Thierry Neuville a fine for breaking the sporting regulations in Stage 6.
Thierry Neuville narrowly escaped automatic retirement from a WRC event after an incident on stage six left his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 with severe damage to the left-rear wheel. The issue arose when Neuville overshot a hairpin, colliding with a bank that caused the wheel to skew outwards at an awkward angle. Shortly afterward, the wheel ceased to rotate during the road section between stage six and the Gap service park, putting Neuville in breach of Article 34.1.5 of the WRC sporting regulations, which requires all four wheels of a car to rotate freely at all times.
Typically, such violations result in automatic retirement due to safety concerns. However, Neuville avoided this outcome and was instead fined €10,000. Hyundai successfully argued that mitigating circumstances justified a deviation from the standard penalty.
According to the event timeline, seven minutes after finishing stage six, Neuville’s left-rear wheel stopped rotating. FIA Technical Delegate Jerome Toquet alerted Hyundai two minutes later, and within another two minutes, Neuville received the message and pulled over to address the issue.
Stewards deemed this prompt response and communication sufficient to classify as mitigating circumstances, thereby allowing Neuville to continue in the event despite the breach. The decision highlights the importance of swift team communication and compliance in averting harsher penalties in the competitive and highly regulated world of WRC.
Watch below the stewards' decision:
Photo Credits: Hyundai
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