Elfyn Evans has spoken out in defence of his Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari, insisting the Finn has received unfair criticism since stepping up to the top class of the World Rally Championship. Heading into the final stretch of the season, Evans holds a 30-point lead over Pajari in the standings, with three or four gravel rallies remaining—depending on the fate of the planned season finale in Saudi Arabia.
Pajari's season started poorly with two crashes at Rally Monte Carlo, leading many to question his ability. But since then, the Finn has impressed with seven podiums in total, including back-to-back victories at Rally Estonia and Rally Finland. For Evans, that proves every driver develops at their own pace.
“I think he's been doing really well. I think he was getting a bit of unfair stick, actually, at the end of last year and the start of this year after Monte. It's not easy to come into the top class and everybody develops at a different rate,” said Evans. “And I think in many ways, the expectation is that everybody can do the same as Kalle (Rovanpera) did. I was certainly way, way slower than all of them, you know, coming to a reasonable level in the sport. So some people just take longer to get to a consistent level of performance. And he's really showing that now.”
Toyota gave Pajari the freedom to develop last year, allowing him to gain experience without pressure—and that work is paying off. Evans admits he has never discounted Pajari as a title threat, but he also knows he cannot control what his team-mate does. “All I have to do is focus on my own game and do the best between now and the end of the season,” said the Welshman, who is chasing his first world title.
For Evans, the bigger challenge remains his role as the so-called road sweeper on gravel rallies. As championship leader, he runs first on the road on day one and has to clear loose gravel. That task continues in Paraguay and Chile over the next two weeks. He hopes for rain to level the playing field, but also knows it could turn the rallies into a lottery.
“Weather plays such a massive part on these gravel rallies. In Paraguay and Chile, if you have rain, the grip is just so low generally, but also very changeable. And in Chile, of course, if you have rain, then the fog comes with it normally. So, of course, from a performance point of view, we're all hoping for rain, but at the same time it's going to blow everything wide open if it comes,” Evans added. Rally Paraguay takes place next week, followed by Rally Chile in September.
Baca Juga
Elfyn Evans membela Sami Pajari yang kerap dikritik, menyebutnya tidak adil. Unggul 30 poin, Evans tetap fokus hadapi tantangan gravel.
Pembalap WRC Josh McErlean dan Jon Armstrong menyambut promotor baru tetapi menuntut perbaikan pengalaman VIP dan strategi menarik pabrikan. Dampaknya menentukan masa depan WRC.
Sami Pajari dan navigator Marko Salminen punya koneksi telepati yang jadi kunci sukses di WRC 2026. Simak bagaimana hubungan unik ini mendongkrak performa mereka.
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