Latest news with #ThierryNeuville
Reuters
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Ogier leads after tough first day in Sardinia
June 6 (Reuters) - Toyota's Sebastien Ogier led Rally Italy in Sardinia on Friday after surging from third to first on the final stage of the first full day of action after rivals hit trouble. Hyundai's reigning world champion Thierry Neuville retired on stage five after taking the lead on the fourth stage of the Olbia-based rally in northern Sardinia and then hitting an earth bank. Adrien Fourmaux was in second place, 2.1 seconds behind eight-times world champion Ogier, with Hyundai teammate Ott Tanak third on the gravel tracks. Last year's winner Tanak completed the leg with a damaged shock absorber and 5.2 seconds behind Fourmaux. Toyota's double world champion Kalle Rovanpera was down in fifth place with championship-leading teammate Elfyn Evans sixth after being the first driver to set out and effectively sweeping the road. "It's been a good day, for sure," commented Ogier. "I've done everything I could today, so I'm happy with that." M-Sport Ford's Martins Sesks rolled out while teammates Josh McErlean and Gregoire Munster retired with suspension damage in the morning action on the same new Telti-Calangianus-Berchidda stage that caught out Neuville later. M-Sport expected at least two of the three to resume on Saturday. "That stage where all the drama happened was very tricky,' said Ogier. "It's super narrow and extremely fast. It's always a surprise to see that many incidents, but it can happen very easily there." The rally, round six of the championship, continues on Saturday with more than 120km of timed action.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Rally drivers protest the swearing ban that has sparked a backlash in Formula 1
FILE - Britain's driver Elfyn Evans and his co-driver Scott Martins with Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid, compete during a special stage of WRC Acropolis Rally in Thiva, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) north of Athens, Greece, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File) FILE - Belgium's Thierry Neuville and his co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe in a Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid compete during a special stage of WRC Acropolis Rally in Thiva, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) north of Athens, Greece, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File) FILE - Belgium's Thierry Neuville and his co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe in a Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid compete during a special stage of WRC Acropolis Rally in Thiva, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) north of Athens, Greece, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File) FILE - Britain's driver Elfyn Evans and his co-driver Scott Martins with Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid, compete during a special stage of WRC Acropolis Rally in Thiva, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) north of Athens, Greece, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File) FILE - Belgium's Thierry Neuville and his co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe in a Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid compete during a special stage of WRC Acropolis Rally in Thiva, some 90 kilometers (56 miles) north of Athens, Greece, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File) As Formula 1 drivers grumble about their governing body's crackdown on swearing, their counterparts in rallying staged a protest Wednesday. The FIA, which oversees F1 and the World Rally Championship, has sought to cut down on swearing in its sports since last year, when it punished F1 champion Max Verstappen for using an expletive in a news conference. New rules for 2025 mean drivers who repeatedly swear or make political or religious statements could be suspended or docked points, as well as being fined. Advertisement On Wednesday, rally drivers protested by refusing to give interviews, or only speaking languages other than English, on the TV broadcast following 'shakedown' test runs ahead of the latest championship event in Kenya and indicated they'll keep up that approach for the four-day competition. Standings leader Elfyn Evans spoke Welsh and defending champion Thierry Neuville gave comments only in French. 'It's nice to be in Kenya. Unfortunately, you guys don't hear from me so much this weekend," two-time champion Kalle Rovanperä said. "If that's the case, what we need to do to make a difference, we will do it.' They were protesting because driver Adrien Fourmaux was fined 10,000 euros ($10,900) for using an expletive during an in-car interview broadcast on TV at Rally Sweden last month. The World Rally Drivers Alliance, which represents most top-level WRC crews, said in a statement it was 'taking the responsible decision to remain silent... or to answer in our mother tongue' so as not to risk punishment. Advertisement 'We all agree to keep rudeness at the microphone to a minimum. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain a certain freedom of expression and to keep emotions alive while drivers don't need to be afraid of getting punished in any way,' the rally drivers' association said. 'We have asked the president of the FIA for some positive changes in the rules to help us achieve this goal.' The FIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The drivers' association has previously said the FIA's fines are 'exorbitant' and 'vastly disproportionate' to their earnings. Advertisement Wednesday's protest is similar to Verstappen giving brief and vague answers in an FIA news conference at last year's Singapore Grand Prix after the FIA ordered him to perform a work of 'public interest' for swearing. ___ AP auto racing:
