Метка: Rally Italy

Toyota hands Rally1 debut to rising WRC star in Latvia

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Pajari and co-driver Enni Malkonen will step up from driving Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 car in WRC2 to pilot a fourth GR Yaris Rally1 at the gravel rally that will make its WRC debut from 18-21 July.

The news comes just days after the pair claimed their second career WRC2 win after finishing sixth overall at last weekend’s round in Sardinia.

Pajari has emerged as one of the WRC’s bright young talents, becoming the youngest-ever Junior WRC champion in 2021, before progressing to the second tier WRC2 class. Malkonen first navigated for Pajari in 2021 and secured the WRC3 co-drivers’ title in 2022.

“This is something that I have been working towards for many years, but it is not so often that there is a seat available in a Rally1 car,” said the 22-year-old Finn.

“It will be a huge challenge because there are so many new things to learn, and the pace at the top level is also really high. But I will try to not focus on the result too much or feel any pressure on that side, and just aim to enjoy and gain all the experience I can for the future.

“At least in Latvia the stages are mostly fast and flowing, something that I’m quite used to from Finland, and it’s also basically a fresh event for everyone, so in this sense we are more or less starting from the same place as the top drivers.

“I hope that if we can do well, then maybe there can be a chance for something nice in the future, but that’s something I can only think about much later. For now, I’ll just focus on this one rally and enjoy it.”

Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala has closely followed Pajari’s and Malkonen’s rise up the rally pyramid.

Latvala offered Pajari guidance at the start of his career in 2020, while Malkonen has called notes for Latvala in Finnish national rallies.

While Latvala is keen to see how the pair cope in faster Rally1 machinery, he has stressed that an overall result in Latvia is not the most important target.

“Alongside our Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC Challenge Program, where since 2015 we have been training young Japanese drivers, we also keep an eye out for the most talented young drivers competing in the WRC support categories,” said Latvala.

“This year we’ve seen that Sami Pajari is driving really well with our GR Yaris Rally2 car and we would like to see his potential in our Rally1 car.

“We wish that they have a nice experience with the Rally1, and they learn about it and if they do well that is also positive.

“But the most important part is to see how they accommodate the Rally1, and it is about learning. This is not the place where they need to show something the idea is to see how is the step from Rally2 to Rally1.”

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WRC champion Rovanpera set for circuit racing debut

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO



The two-time world champion is expanding his motorsport horizons this year following a decision to conduct a part-time WRC campaign with Toyota.

Rovanpera announced plans in February to contest four of the six Carrera Cup Benelux rounds, with the first outing arriving at Zandvoort – the home of the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old will drive a 911 GT3 Cup car prepared by Red Ant Racing, managed by veteran Le Mans 24 Hours racer Marc Goosens.

Rovanpera has completed two days of testing at the Dutch venue which followed a test at Zolder in Belgium earlier this year.

“Two days of testing done here at Zandvoort,” Rovanpera wrote on social media.

“It was challenging and a lot of new things to learn but that’s what I came here for.

“Pace was pretty good compared to guys who we will be fighting with this weekend. It’s not going to be easy but I’m looking forward for it to see how it goes.”

 

Rovanpera’s first taste of circuit racing arrives after contesting three of the six 2024 WRC rounds to date, that included a dominant victory at Safari Rally Kenya in March. It is unclear when the Finn will return to the WRC later this season.

Toyota has announced its driver line-up for the next round in Poland from 27-30 June, which will see the Japanese brand field three GR Yaris Rally1s for full-time drivers Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta. The third car will be driven by Croatia and Portugal winner Sebastien Ogier, who has scored two wins and two second-place finishes from his four appearances.

However, rounds in Latvia and Finland in July and August are thought to be most likely to feature on Rovanpera’s rally schedule.

Rally Poland will feature nine Rally1 entries with Hyundai fielding Thierry Neuville, Ott Tanak and Andreas Mikkelsen, while M-Sport will field an expanded three-car line-up as Martins Sesks joins regulars Adrien Fourmaux and Gregoire Munster.

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Did the WRC’s shorter sprint-style format work?

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Now that the dust has settled on an event that delivered the joint-closest finish in WRC history, the championship and the FIA will evaluate how the 48-hour, 266.12km format performed.

This trial was the latest step the WRC is undertaking to improve its overall appeal by offering event organisers more options when it comes to rally formats, instead of the 300-kilometre-plus distance that has become the norm in recent years. The other by-product of a shorter event also is also a slight cost-saving for teams, with personnel required to be on-site later than normal.

It is hoped that, starting from next year, the calendar will provide the WRC more storytelling options. The shorter concept trialled in Sardinia may be complemented by the prospect of endurance rallies covering more than five days, in addition to the traditional three or four-day format. It would be fair to suggest that the majority agree this would be a step forward for the WRC.

This year’s Rally Sardinia was 54km shorter than 2023’s event, comprising 16 stages compared to the 19 stages of 12 months ago. The biggest changes were around Friday, which hosted shakedown and four stages. Crews tackled eight tests on Saturday, then concluded with four stages and a midday finish on Sunday. In truth, the event was more of a case of cramming an almost normal rally into 48 hours.

How did the format perform?

Any fears that the concept would provide less action or drama were quickly quashed. The rally was as brutal as ever, providing plenty of storylines before it delivered one of the most dramatic climaxes in WRC history as Ott Tanak pipped Sebastien Ogier to victory by 0.2s in a final-stage thriller.

It would be unfair to suggest that incredible finish was a direct result of the format, as Ogier was delayed by a puncture. But certainly, the overwhelming feeling in the service park was that the show still met the standards of a traditional rally.

Sardinia served up action and excitement aplenty into its shorter format

Sardinia served up action and excitement aplenty into its shorter format

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

«I don’t know if this was the best rally to try it on, but the theory was still a good one,» said Toyota’s Elfyn Evans. «I think the format works and I don’t think anybody will feel short-changed, even though there was half a day less.»

On the whole, there is a lot of support from stakeholders for the concept of having a rally start on Friday afternoon and finish by Sunday lunchtime. The FIA has already given the format a thumbs up, stating that it has potential for the future.

«I think the concept has been good and I think pretty much everyone turned up a day later than they would normally, and the rally still feels like a tough round of the WRC,» FIA road sport director Andrew Wheatley told Motorsport.com.

«I don’t think we can do it everywhere, and maybe we shouldn’t do it everywhere, but it is a process that so far has been pretty successful. The target is to give the organisers the opportunity to do something slightly different and the concept has shown that it has got potential.»

But Sardinia did highlight areas for improvement, should other events adopt this format in the future. That said, some of the criticisms levied were aimed at event-specific circumstances that created an unusual itinerary, as Evans highlighted.

Instead of the traditional three- or four-stage morning and afternoon loops, punctuated by a service, the itinerary on Friday and Saturday featured a pair of stages repeated. These were split by regroups or a tyre-fitting zone (on Saturday), rather than a service.

This was enforced, to allow the entire 81-car field to complete those stages before restarting the loop again. While this was beneficial for fans, as they could catch more glimpses of the cars in action, it did lengthen the days for the crews and teams.

Saturday highlighted the issue. Crews had approximately four hours of sleep on Friday night, before having to set off from the Alghero service park to reach the first stage that started at 7:41am, while the last test began at 6:10pm.

Long days for the crews were none too popular

Long days for the crews were none too popular

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Easy fixes for next time?

Factoring in the road section from service to the stages and the return, it was roughly a 14-hour day in the car, which crews highlighted as a concern. It is understood that a lack of marshals on the island meant the itinerary was compromised, which can be easily resolved in the future should the format be repeated.

«We don’t want every rally to be short and we don’t need to do 300 kilometres for the sake of doing 300 kilometres,» M-Sport team principal Richard Millener told Motorsport.com. «It was another fantastic rally with a different format, and it has worked well.

«The only tweak I would make is to run it on events that can run a more traditional three- or four-stage loop, then a service. I think the reason for the regroups here is the number of marshals on the island and then we had a lot of cars here, so they have to all get through the stages and then go around again.

«It is a sporting issue that we can quite easily solve, which will shorten the day for us which will be great.»

Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala praised the concept but joined Millener’s call for «a service next year rather than a 15-minute tyre-fitting zone» to be added, which could have avoided Takamoto Katsuta retiring from the rally after suffering an oil leak that couldn’t be fixed during a tyre-fitting zone.

Katsuta himself highlighted that the itinerary was tough on both the crews and the car, but again this criticism wasn’t focused on the shorter rally concept itself.

«In this kind of rally, I don’t understand why we don’t have a midday service because it is very important,» said the Japanese. «And at the same time, drivers and co-drivers, we don’t have time to eat and no time to rest. A whole day in the car is not nice. It was very difficult conditions and very tough for the car.»

This is a view echoed by Hyundai driver Dani Sordo, who added: «I think the format is nice, but I think it is important to manage the timings better.»

Could Katsuta's retirement have been avoided by scheduling a service into Saturday's itinerary?

Could Katsuta’s retirement have been avoided by scheduling a service into Saturday’s itinerary?

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Food for thought

M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux was perhaps the most critical of the format. He has called for longer stages that are befitting of the WRC, instead of contesting more stages of shorter distances.

Again, the Frenchman’s criticisms are largely aimed at the itinerary that created longer-than-average days, and while Fourmaux is concerned about crews’ and teams’ welfare, his suggestions for improvements have the fans and the overall show at heart.

«I don’t like it because we don’t have more time for the spectators,» he told Motorport.com. «It is a big rush for two and a half days and we have even less sleep than before.

«Alex [Coria, co-driver] had only four hours sleep on Friday evening ahead of the Saturday which was really long day. I would like to have a rally where we do stages all the night. Of course, if you have stages in the night, we would not sleep much.

«But when you have a last stage at 7pm and the next one is 7am, people don’t see the challenge behind that. We have all the road sections back to the service park then we have to debrief with the team, and then go to sleep and wake up really early because we have a long road section to the first stage.

«People don’t really see that. But if we had a stage at midnight, the fans would be like ‘woah’. That would be cool.

«If they want to shorten the rallies, it would be nice if we had longer stages. This is the World Rally Championship, not a regional rally championship.

Fourmaux believes longer stages are necessary to add prestige to the WRC

Fourmaux believes longer stages are necessary to add prestige to the WRC

Photo by: M-Sport

«In the WRC, stages should 50km, 40km or 30km. We have too many stages that are 12km for example. For me, we should have longer stages, and then we wouldn’t have to do the same amount of stages, so it would take less time, but we still do the same amount of kilometres.»

Fourmaux’s suggestions are certainly food for thought for organisers moving forward. But this is why trials of formats are undertaken. Formula 1 offered a great example when it debuted its elimination qualifying system at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix. It was quickly found to be too confusing and dropped after two races, as F1 returned to the format it still uses today.

The lesson learned from Sardinia is the 48-hour format has real potential. But equally, it needs an itinerary to suit.

Will we see a repeat of the shorter format in future?

Will we see a repeat of the shorter format in future?

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool



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“S*** happens” after losing WRC Sardinia victory with final stage puncture

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The eight-time world champion appeared on course to score 61st WRC win having started the final stage with a 6.2s lead, but a puncture three kilometres from the finish handed the victory to Hyundai’s Ott Tanak by the equal-smallest margin in WRC history.

Ogier felt there was nothing he could have done differently given the extreme gravel conditions in the 7.10km Sassari test.

“That is motorsport sometimes, you have to accept that shit happens,” said Ogier. “I think we did everything we could and be happy and proud of [our] performance.

“It is hard not have the reward for it but at least I’m happy for it to go to my friend Ott as he has done a strong rally.

“There was nothing I could have done different. Unfortunately, it was very extreme conditions in the Power Stage, and I think we were doing enough of a job to stay ahead even if we knew the conditions were not suiting our car.

“But this puncture three kilometres from the end cost us the win and we have to accept it. At the end of the day, it is hard, but it is not the end of the world and there is much worse in life.

“This week we are so sorry for Ari Vatanen [1981 world champion] and his family losing Kim [Ari’s son] so my thoughts are with their family.”

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Tanak admitted the way the rally was decided was “really cruel” on Ogier having suffered a similar fate on the same stage in 2019.

Ogier tasted victory by a 0.2s margin having been involved in the WRC’s other closest-ever finish when he beat his now Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala to victory in the 2011 Jordan Rally.

After witnessing another dramatic finish, Latvala admitted it would take time to digest this latest loss by 0.2s.

“It is a disappointing feeling, I’m not lying, and it takes time to digest it,” said Latvala.

“The karma plays out. Ogier has won by 0.2s against me in Jordan and now he has lost and at the same stage Ott lost the victory in 2019 with the steering issues. This is how the karma plays sometimes.”

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Surprise Sardinia WRC win “really cruel” on Ogier

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Tanak took a surprise victory by 0.2s from eight-time world champion Ogier after the Toyota driver picked up a puncture three kilometres from completing the new 16-stage shorter 266.12km rally.

The winning margin equalled the WRC’s closest-ever finish when Ogier beat Jari-Matti Latvala in Jordan 2011.

Ogier started Sunday with a 17.1s advantage over Tanak but that margin was whittled down to 6.2s heading into the final Sassari Power Stage before drama struck.

Tanak was shocked by the final stage drama and was quick to sympathise with his rival Ogier having lost a likely Sardinia win to a steering problem on the same stage in 2019.

“I was really surprised at what happened, I was focusing on Sunday points to score as much as I could,” said Tanak. “We were parked up and I saw Seb’s time and I saw at the midpoint that he was just one second behind. I didn’t know the time gap and I asked [co-driver] Martin [Jarveoja].

“In the end it is just a bunch of emotions. Obviously, it is very positive as we were not focusing at all [on the win] and were just focused on the Sunday, but we didn’t gain any points by winning the rally.

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Toyota Racing

“It is really cruel for Seb to lose it like this. I have been there before myself, I have lost a safe victory on this stage, I know how bad it feels.”

Tanak had been locked in rally-long battle with Ogier, having led the Frenchman at the end of Saturday’s morning loop before Hyundai told the Estonian to be “safe and not push it” in the rough gravel conditions. The call wasn’t really a factor as Tanak struggled for confidence across Saturday afternoon before issuing a charge on Sunday morning.

Tanak’s first win in his second spell at Hyundai has moved the 2019 champion to tied second in the championship standings, 18 points behind team-mate Thierry Neuville. While pleased to be back in the title fight, he feels there is still work to be done to sustain his title pursuit.

“We can still see that we have some weak points especially on Saturday afternoon where it was not working for me, so we have plenty of work to do now we are going to completely different terrain. Hopefully I can find a good feeling and push on these rallies,” he added.

“I’m looking forward as I know what these rallies are about, but it is crucial to make the car to work.”

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Tanak snatches stunning win from Ogier in final stage thriller

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Hyundai’s Tanak and co-driver Martin Jarveoja were involved in rally-long battle with Toyota’s Ogier and Vincent Landais, as the WRC trialled a new shorter 48-hour format for the first time on Sardinia’s rough gravel roads.

Tanak put Ogier under pressure through Sunday’s four stages overhauling a 17.1s to snatch a stunning win by 0.2s in the final stage, after Ogier suffered a final stage puncture.

It is the joint-closest finish for the win in WRC history, matching the 2011 Jordan Rally when Ogier beat Jari-Matti Latvala.

Hyundai’s part-time driver Dani Sordo survived 16 attritional stages to complete the podium [+2m25.6], his first rostrum since last September’s Acropolis Rally.

Two stage wins from Friday’s new-look four-stage itinerary helped Ogier into 4.5s lead over Tanak heading into an eventful and long Saturday, comprising of 149 stage kilometres.

Ogier suffered a puncture on the opening test which briefly handed the lead to Tanak by 0.1s. After electing to take only one spare Ogier was forced to be careful on the brutal rocky roads where the puncture risk was high.

However, a fastest time on the next test put Ogier back in the lead, but it was short-lived as Tanak responded to lead by 3.5s at the end of the morning.

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Ogier reclaimed the lead in the afternoon which coincided with Tanak revealing that his Hyundai team had asked him to “be safe and not push”. The Hyundai team judged the extra risk required to continue to challenge for the win was too much, after losing Thierry Neuville as he crashed from third place on stage eight.

The team instruction coupled with a drop in confidence behind the wheel of his i20 N helped Ogier into a 17.1s lead. But come Sunday Tanak unleashed a charge motivated by Super Sunday points to push Ogier all the way before eclipsing the 6.2s deficit in a dramatic final stage.

As a result, Tanak has moved to joint-second in the championship with Elfyn Evans, 18 points behind Neuville.

Sordo enjoyed solid run and climbed the leaderboard to third after Neuville and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta retired on Saturday. Katsuta had inherited third after Neuville lost concentration for a fraction and careered off the road, while Katsuta dropped out with a gearbox issue.

Title contender Evans finished fourth [+2m37.8s] after struggling all rally. It began with a puncture on Friday, but a lack of a confidence in his Toyota left him unable to match the pace at the front.

The frustrated Welshman was able to salvage fourth on Saturday, to take 10 points, and picked up eight points on Sunday for finishing third in the Sunday standings and third on the Power Stage.

After impressing to sit third on Saturday after opening the road on Friday, championship leader Neuville recovered brilliantly to score the maximum 12 Sunday points following his costly Saturday exit. The Belgian topped the Sunday standings to take seven points and won the Power Stage to grab another five points.

M-Sport’s Gregoire Munster recorded a career-best fifth overall finish despite a late throttle issue. Team-mate Adrien Fourmaux left Sardinia with two points after running as high as third before a puncture and alternator issue forced him to retire on Friday. The Frenchman also survived a brake problem on Saturday.

In WRC2, Sami Pajari scored a second win for the new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 car and finished sixth overall. WRC2 Championship leader Yohan Rossel recovered from a puncture to finish seventh overall and second in class.



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Hyundai explains Tanak’s “be safe, not push it” WRC Sardinia call

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Tanak was embroiled in an intense fight for the rally lead with Toyota’s Ogier across Saturday’s rough gravel stages.

The 2019 world champion trailed Ogier by 4.5s heading into Saturday’s stages, but emerged with a 3.5s lead after the morning loop.

Ogier picked up a puncture in the day’s opening stage, which allowed Tanak to pounce as Ogier cautiously completed the loop without a spare wheel.

However, at the end of stage nine, Tanak revealed that his Hyundai team had asked him to “be safe and not push it”. The call came after team-mate and championship leader Thierry Neuville crashed out of third position.

Following the decision, Tanak ended Saturday 17.1s behind Ogier but the Estonian admitted he was struggling for confidence to challenge for the lead.

Abiteboul has since moved to explain the thinking behind the team call.

“I will never ask a driver to slow down, but the discussion we had was about risk versus reward,” Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.

“Rally is all about that. The question was what is the extra level of risk that you need to take in order to feel you can have a go and a push and attack Ogier?

“I could feel from his [Ott’s] feedback that increasing the risk level was simply unreasonable given the level of confidence he has in the car.

Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport

“I think he is still trying to work around the limitation of the car, which we have discussed a lot.

“On that basis it was judged unreasonable to increase the risk to the extent where we could be a threat on Ogier.

“That was the conclusion of the exchange; it doesn’t mean to slow down. It is not what I would qualify [as] a team order. I don’t want to be precious about terminology.

“There was an exchange and after having lost a car with Thierry and it was clear that for Ott this would be a good result for himself and the team, I felt it was right to have this type of action and this is something I like to do occasionally.”

When asked about the decision, Tanak added: “Clearly after Thierry went out we had only two cars left and, with the championship on the table, it is clear you can’t risk to lose another car.

“Nobody said I couldn’t fight Seb, but I was told not to take any risk.

“But in this situation where I couldn’t really find any good feeling in the car, especially this afternoon, if you keep pushing the risk is always on the table.

“I didn’t have a good feeling in the car, so I had to slow down.”

Tanak has since slashed Ogier’s lead to 6.6s on Sunday morning with two stages remaining.

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Tanak slashes Ogier’s lead, Neuville tops Sunday standings

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Tanak started the morning trailing Ogier’s Toyota by 17.1s but a strong run through the morning’s two stages reduced the deficit to 6.6s with two stages remaining.

Hyundai’s Dani Sordo maintained third [+2m15.5s] ahead of Toyota’s Elfyn Evans [+2m38.0s], with M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster, fifth [+6m10.0s].

Hyundai’s Neuville and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta rejoined the rally after their Saturday retirements. But it was the former that dominated the morning stages as he set his sights on salvaging the seven Super Sunday points.

Neuville bounced back from the disappointment of Saturday’s exit from third position by winning the first of four Sunday tests. Determined to salvage some Super Sunday points, the Hyundai driver had feared opening the road would be costly, however his effort proved 4.6s faster than Tanak.

“Not very proud of yesterday. Today is about the extra points,” said Neuville. “Nothing is over. Before Portugal we had only a six point and one rally it changed a lot. The season is still long.”

Hanging dust hampered those that followed Neuville, but it was Tanak who seemed to fare the best. The Estonian was four seconds faster than rally leader Ogier which reduced the Frenchman’s advantage to 13.1s. Although, Tanak didn’t see any reason to apply pressure on the Ogier virtue of the new points system.

“The rally was finished yesterday this doesn’t make any difference anymore it is a different event for the points today. The rally win is not important anymore,” said Tanak.

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Evans was third fastest to move into a provisional five Super Sunday points. The Welshman reported that the feeling was better in his GR Yaris but admitted the “driver needed sorting.”

Sordo was fourth fastest ahead of Katsuta, who struggled to navigate through the dust. M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux was lucky to avoid damaging his Ford Puma when he overshot a corner after missing a pacenote.

The first pass through the famous Sassari stage, which will host the rally ending Power Stage, fuelled the fight for the overall win.

The spectacular sandy coastal test seemed to degrade after every pass benefitting the early runners. However, Tanak appeared to buck the trend as he clawed 6.5s out of Ogier, who struggled in the rougher conditions, as his rally lead was cut to 6.6s with two stages remaining.

Neuville won the stage to continue his impressive fightback, extending his lead in the Super Sunday points standings to 5.4s over Tanak, with Evans third and Ogier fourth. Sordo, Katsuta and Fourmaux filled the remaining Sunday points paying positions.

In WRC2, Sami Pajari, sitting sixth overall, led title contender Yohan Rossel by 48.6s.

The crews will repeat the loop stages to complete the rally this afternoon.



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Evans «thinking too much» about WRC title race

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Evans has cut a frustrated figure throughout this week’s Rally Sardinia, having been unable to find the confidence to extract the ultimate pace from his Toyota GR Yaris on the gravel stages.

After finishing sixth in Portugal last month, the Welshman’s struggles for speed have continued into Sardinia to leave Evans adrift of the victory fight.

A puncture on Friday cost Evans time, but he was already struggling to find a rhythm. The two-time championship runner-up also found the going tough in Saturday’s stages, but problems for others boosted him to fourth at the end of the day, albeit 2m43.3s behind team-mate and rally leader Sebastien Ogier.

Latvala believes that part of the struggles stem from the pressure of the title fight which is restricting Evans from driving naturally.

“Everyone knows he is capable of winning events; he has been so close to winning the championship [previously], I just feel maybe lately he has been taking a bit too much pressure of the championship,” said the Finn.

“I know from myself as a driver that when you start to think about it, you lose your natural ability to drive, and your mind starts to take over and you don’t drive naturally.

“He is thinking too much about the situation in the championship. We just need to find a way to relax him more and get the enjoyment for the driving back.

“I do however respect that when it doesn’t go well, he is still consistent. Personally, myself what I did was when it didn’t go well, I attacked more and then I ended up crashing.

Jari-Matti Latvala, Team principal Toyota Gazoo Racing

Jari-Matti Latvala, Team principal Toyota Gazoo Racing

Photo by: Toyota Racing

“But of course, you cannot win the championship without victories.”

Reflecting on his day, Evans said: “It’s very frustrating at the moment, we’re not feeling at one with everything.

“We always knew this could happen going into the weekend, but we still want more.

“How things were in Portugal were a tell-tale sign of things to come, but also some other stuff.”

While Sardinia has been difficult for Evans, a retirement for championship leader Thierry Neuville from third on the final stage of the morning loop offered a positive. If Evans can finish the rally tomorrow, he stands to claim 10 points for finishing fourth on Saturday while Neuville, who holds a 24-point championship lead, would fail to score.

“There is no satisfaction in what we have done, but at the same time [the points] is something,” added Evans.

Rally Sardinia concludes following four stages on Sunday.

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