Neuville fined €10K for WRC rule breach

The world champion was found to have broken rules following a mistake on stage six

Thierry Neuville has been hit with a €10.000 fine for a breach of World Rally Championship sporting regulations during the Monte Carlo Rally.

Reigning world champions Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe were found to have contravened the rules by driving on a road section without all four wheels of their car rotating [Article 34.1.5].

The offence occurred on Friday after stage six when Neuville misjudged his braking heading into a tight right hairpin that resulted in an excursion into a ditch that damaged the rear left suspension.

As a result, Neuville was forced to compete the stage with his left rear wheel dragging behind the car.

A stewards report stated that Neuville and Wydaeghe were unaware the wheel wasn’t rotating before they were notified by the FIA technical delegate, which then prompted the pair to stop and fix the damage on the road section.

"The driver stated that after their accident on SS 6 La Bréole Selonnet 1, they drove several kilometres on the stage without being aware that the left rear wheel was not freely rotating," read the stewards report.

Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

"The co-driver added that even the time loss on the stage was not that significant and they therefore did not assume that the car was that badly damaged. The team manager stated that he talked to their engineers about the compliance of Art. 34.1.5 of the 2025 FIA WRC Sporting Regulations, but unfortunately they did not immediately contact the crew as they assumed that they were aware about the problem.

"He added that, immediately after the team was informed by the FIA Technical Delegate that the wheel was not rotating, they informed the crew to stop and to repair the damage.

"They also explained that they were fully aware of the regulations and knew that driving
on a public road with only three freely rotating wheels can result in an unsafe situation. Therefore, they immediately stopped the car when they were informed by the FIA Technical Delegate.

“Article 34.1.5 of the 2025 FIA WRC Sporting Regulations clearly states that on a road section that is a public road and at the start of a stage, a competition car may only be driven on four freely rotating wheels and tyres.

“This regulation concerning not rotating wheels on public roads was made for safety reasons. The regulation also stipulates that “Any car not complying must immediately stop, repair the damage if possible, respecting all the applicable regulations or retire.”

The stewards concluded that as no sporting advantage was gained a fine was appropriate.