Elfyn Evans is not getting ahead of himself. Despite now having only one round remaining in the WRC 2025, the Toyota driver is recalling his painful past at Monza 2020. Back then, he led Sebastien Ogier by 14 points, but a crash in the final rally cost him the title. Now, with a 17-point lead over teammate Sami Pajari, Evans refuses to take anything for granted.
The FIA's decision to cancel Rally Saudi Arabia due to security concerns in the Middle East has forced the WRC calendar to be trimmed. Originally, the season was set to end in Saudi Arabia in November, but the event was called off. No replacement could be arranged in time, so Rally Sardinia in early October becomes the decisive finale. For Evans, this is a golden opportunity, but also a trap he has fallen into before.
“I think I had exactly the same points gap to Seb in 2020 when we went to Monza. I have plenty of experience of what not to do. I think the situation is much more uncertain than it looks on paper,” Evans told Motorsport.com.
Evans also highlighted the unique challenge in Sardinia. As the driver who will open the road on gravel, he knows his position is far from ideal. “With Sardinia taking place on gravel, running first on the road will obviously make it difficult. I think it is still wide open going into Sardinia and nothing is certain. In many ways, there is a big job ahead if we are to leave there as champions,” he stressed.
His teammate, Oliver Solberg, remains in contention. The young Toyota driver is 21 points behind Evans, with a maximum of 35 points still available. In the previous rally in Chile, Evans suffered a puncture on the final day, allowing Pajari to gain three points and Solberg to close in. “We had a puncture on the final day and we do not know what caused it, and that allowed Oliver to make up 20 points. That is the reality of the current points system and the sport at the moment, so we certainly cannot just cruise to the finish in Sardinia,” Evans added.
Evans also said he would have welcomed a replacement event for Saudi Arabia. However, he understands the difficulty of organising such a rally at short notice. “I would have been more than happy if a replacement round had been found. I do not really know what has happened behind the scenes. Organising an event of this scale is a huge undertaking. I am sure finding a solution was not easy,” he said.
With one rally left, Evans stands on the brink of fulfilling his championship dream. But the shadow of Monza 2020 still looms. Now, he must prove that history will not repeat itself. Sardinia will be the stage for the final act, and Evans is ready to face it with a cool head.
Baca Juga
Juha Kankkunen ungkap alasan Toyota tunda pengumuman pembalap WRC 2025 karena Akio Toyoda jalani operasi punggung. Keputusan baru diambil Oktober.
Ott Tanak memimpin Overmountain Rally Tennessee setelah SS4. Partisipasinya bersama Toyota Corolla RC2 jadi sinyal kuat kembalinya ke WRC musim depan.
CEO WRC Promoter Eric Boullier menjelaskan alasan putaran final Arab Saudi 2026 tidak bisa digantikan, dengan opsi Spanyol dinilai terlambat.
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