High praise for Neuville

Neuville, 22, produced a hugely impressive performance on the island event, as he fought out a close battle with factory Skoda Motorsport drivers Juho Hanninen and Jan Kopecky, plus BFO Skoda Rally Team’s Freddy Loix. He held the lead for a time and was rarely outside of the top three stage times.

“He did a fantastic rally and he proved his fantastic speed and fantastic car control,” said fellow Belgian Loix, who finished fourth behind Neuville. “Now I think it will give him a bit more confidence for the next events.”

Peugeot UK’s Guy Wilks who, like Neuville, is run by the Kronos Racing operation, said: “He’s really come of age on this rally and shown he can really mix it with the top guys.”