As the green light flashes in Paraguay this weekend, Toyota has a golden opportunity to lock up a sixth consecutive WRC manufacturers' title. Yes, the team led by Jari-Matti Latvala only needs to outscore Hyundai by seven points to secure the crown early.
Toyota's dominance this season has been almost flawless. Of the ten rounds completed so far, nine have been won by Toyota drivers. Championship leader Elfyn Evans, reigning champion Sebastien Ogier, Takamoto Katsuta, and the recently victorious Sami Pajari have each claimed two wins, while Oliver Solberg added one.
Hyundai's only breakthrough came in Portugal, where Thierry Neuville capitalized on Ogier's late puncture. That barely dented Toyota's supremacy, which now stands at 174 points over Hyundai. With a maximum of 60 points available per event for a manufacturer, and only 180 points left after Paraguay, the math is simple.
If Toyota outscores Hyundai by seven points in Paraguay, the manufacturers' title is theirs. It's a realistic target given that this season alone, Toyota has outscored Hyundai by more than seven points on five occasions, with the smallest margin being 10 points in Estonia.
However, there have been two slip-ups this year. At Safari Rally Kenya, Katsuta won but wasn't nominated to score points for the main team, while Pajari finished third but scored for Toyota's second team. Adrien Fourmaux's second place brought big points for Hyundai, allowing them to outscore Toyota by eight. In Portugal, Neuville's win helped Hyundai score 51 points to Toyota's 46.
If Toyota seals the title in Paraguay, it will be their 10th manufacturers' crown overall, further cementing their dominance in the hybrid Rally1 era.
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