Showdown in Sardinia: Toyota trio battle for the World Rally Championship title

The season finale was originally due to take place in Saudi Arabia in November, but the last-minute cancellation of the rally there scuppered those plans.

On the Coral Coast around Alghero, three drivers are battling it out for their first world championship title. The favourite is Elfyn Evans, who leads the world championship with 230 points. He travels to Sardinia with a 17-point lead over Sami Pajari and a 21-point lead over Oliver Solberg. All three Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers are hoping to succeed Sébastien Ogier.

The current standings suggest Elfyn Evans has the best chance. The five-time runner-up to the world champion seems to finally be on the right track. In Sardinia, the Welshman could clinch the title if he scores 19 points, regardless of how Sami Pajari or Oliver Solberg perform.

Der Waliser Elfyn Evans führt die WM vor dem Finale an

Foto: Red Bull

The 37-year-old could achieve these 19 points with a win (25 points) without scoring a single point on Super Sunday, a second place (17 points) with 2 points on Super Sunday, a third place (15 points) and four points on Sunday, or a fourth place (12 points) plus seven points on the final day. In a nutshell: Elfyn Evans must finish in the top five to keep his fate in his own hands. With any other result, the driver with start number 33 would be reliant on his rivals’ misfortune.

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This is far from ideal for Evans: together with his co-driver Scott Martin, he must first tackle the rally as the ‘road sweeper’, facing particularly challenging conditions on loose gravel terrain as the first car to start. “Our approach doesn’t change compared to other rallies just because it’s the final. We simply have to drive the best rally we can,” explains Evans.

Mit drei Siegen in Folge im Sommer ist Sami Pajari noch WM-Kandidat

Foto: Red Bull

Pajari has little tactical leeway. The Finn, who has thrown his hat into the ring for the World Championship title with three consecutive wins in the final third of the season, has very little tactical leeway at the finale. “I simply have to give it my all, just as I do in every rally. For me, nothing really changes in terms of approach for the final,” emphasises the 24-year-old.

Oliver Solberg faces the most difficult starting position. The Monte Carlo winner has put himself in contention for the title at the final round with his victory at the last rally, Rally Chile, having been well behind at one stage.

“The gap to Elfyn is actually too big to close, but we’ll obviously give it our all,” Solberg emphasises.

Der Schwede Oliver Solberg, WM-Kandidat mit geringen Chancen

Foto: Red Bull

For Toyota, it would be their seventh drivers’ title in eight years, having already secured the manufacturers’ championship ahead of schedule in Chile.

Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala emphasises that all three drivers will compete under the same conditions to ensure a fair contest.

Sebastien Ogier is a key figure in the race for the World Championship title. The Frenchman has already won the rally five times. The reigning world champion has nothing left to win, except perhaps to secure one last victory under the old Rally1 car regulations. Should the Frenchman finish on top, that would play into Elfyn Evans’ hands.

In the FIA WRC2 World Championship, Estonian Robert Virves (Škoda) has already been confirmed as the new world champion ahead of the season finale following the cancellation of the Saudi Arabian round.

Vor Sardinien bereits feststehender WRC2-Weltmeister: Robert Virves

Foto: Red Bull

For the 23rd edition of this classic island rally, the event returns to Alghero as its venue after a year in Olbia.

The service park will once again be set up on the Lungomare Barcellona, just a few metres from the Mediterranean Sea. The ceremonial finish is planned to take place within the old city walls – one of the most striking backdrops for podium ceremonies in the entire World Rally Championship.

For the first time in its history, the Rally Sardinia is taking place in autumn. The October date, with cooler temperatures, could present varied challenges. Tyre wear is enormous. The gravel tracks are littered with sharp-edged stones, loose scree and rocks that literally ‘devour’ the tyres.

The special stages in Sardinia offer little room for error. Uneven, narrow roads wind through rough terrain with constant changes of rhythm, blind crests and virtually no run-off areas.