– WRC leader Elfyn Evans is convinced that the race for the title in the World Rally Championship (WRC) remains “completely open” after the cancellation of the Rally Saudi Arabia. At the same time, the Toyota driver makes it clear that a “walk in the park” at the new season finale in Sardinia is absolutely not an option.
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“In the end, everything is still completely open before Sardinia and nothing is guaranteed. In many ways, it is a mammoth task to leave there as world champion,” says Evans, referring to the events at the most recent WRC round.
“If you look at Oliver [Solberg] in Chile: We had a tire damage on the final day, which we still don’t know where it came from – and because of that, he suddenly gained 20 points. That is the reality of the current points system and our sport. So cruising comfortably over the stages is definitely not an option,” says the Welshman.
Evans wants to ignore the WRC situation
After the FIA and the WRC decided to cancel the originally scheduled season finale in Saudi Arabia from November 11 to 14 and not replace it with another rally, the WRC season will end already from October 1 to 4 with the Rally Italy in Sardinia.
With this, the five-time runner-up Evans has maneuvered himself into the favorite role for his first WRC title. The Toyota driver travels to Italy with a 17-point lead over his teammate Sami Pajari. Chile winner Oliver Solberg is 21 points behind.
With 35 points still to be awarded on the gravel stages of Sardinia, Evans emphasizes that the decision is far from made. He therefore does not want to change his approach. “We have to approach the weekend like any other round and simply ignore the WRC situation,” he says.
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Memories of Monza 2020
He definitely does not want to rest on his lead: “You can’t afford to constantly think about the lead. It is exactly the same lead I had in 2020 before the finale in Monza over Seb [Ogier].” Evans was leading by 14 points back then. “So I know how not to do it. Everything is much less certain than it looks on paper,” emphasizes the Toyota driver.
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Rumors that the Rally Catalunya in Spain could have filled the gap are commented on positively by Evans – he would have had nothing against a replacement race.
“I would have been more than happy with a replacement event. I don’t know exactly what happened behind the scenes and don’t know the details why some things worked out or not. But it seemed like it was impossible this time. It is a huge task to organize an event of this size. It certainly was not an easy solution,” Evans continues.
WRC boss: “Cancellations are never nice”
WRC CEO Eric Boullier commented on the cancellation and the search for alternatives: “It is never nice to cancel rounds – especially not when you have a long-term partner like Saudi Arabia. This is not about a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ decision. It is a decision made by all stakeholders including the FIA to ensure the safety of everyone involved,” said the former Formula 1 team boss.
“I know people criticize that there is no replacement. But that’s just how it is. The situation is the same for everyone and we had to make this decision,” Boullier continued. “We have fixed processes and protocols. The more time passes, the less remains to organize a race under proper WRC conditions and the necessary safety standards.”
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