Elfyn Evans insists the cancellation of Rally Saudi Arabia won't alter his approach to next month's Rally Italia Sardegna. The World Rally Championship leader told DirtFish that the loss of the final round won't change much for him. "I really don't think the news will change a lot," he said. "Not having to sweep the road in Saudi may be a benefit, but that would have depended on what happened in Sardinia anyway."
Evans heads to Alghero for what is now the season finale with a 17-point lead over Toyota teammate Sami Pajari, with Oliver Solberg a further four points back. One of the three will be crowned world champion for the first time in Sardinia. Heading into round 13, Evans knows that a third win of the season will be enough to secure his first-ever world title.
But the Welshman is taking nothing for granted. He recalls last year's Saudi event where he and Sebastien Ogier were locked in battle, only for a puncture to drop him back. "It's difficult. Unless it's really obvious halfway through that something has happened to the other two, you can't be completely confident in your position. With so many points available on Sunday, it can swing everything," he added.
Asked if he preferred being the hunted rather than the hunter, Evans replied: "I still have to go there and do a solid job and they do too. They've got to either depend on me making a mistake or they've got to win to close the gap. But, on the other hand, they have nothing to lose."
Weather could play a significant role in Sardinia. For the first time since 2020, the event runs in October, increasing the chance of rain and reducing the potential for high temperatures. This could bring the drivers' preferred Hankook soft compound Dynapro tire more into play. "Rain would make the cleaning effect less and, of course, that's better first on the road," Evans concluded.
In terms of form on the Italian island, none of the three championship protagonists have ever won, but Evans has plenty of consistency, having finished fourth on six of his last nine starts there. Meanwhile, the news that Rally Saudi Arabia had been dropped from the 2026 FIA WRC calendar – and wouldn't be replaced – came on Thursday. In a joint statement, the FIA and WRC Promoter cited 'ongoing uncertainty in the region' for the loss of the Jeddah-based event.
Baca Juga
Final WRC 2026 pindah ke Italia usai Saudi Arabia dicoret. Elfyn Evans di ambang gelar, Ogier kehilangan takhta, dan Virves juara WRC2.
FIA batalkan Rally Saudi Arabia dari kalender WRC 2026. Keputusan ini memicu spekulasi tentang kelanjutan balapan F1 di Timur Tengah.
Rally Arab Saudi 2026 dibatalkan, WRC hanya menyisakan satu reli penentu di Italia. Elfyn Evans memimpin 21 poin atas Pajari dan Solberg.
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