Elfyn Evans, driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing, has stated that the competition for the World Rally Championship (WRC) title is very much alive after the cancellation of Rally Saudi Arabia. According to him, ‘you cannot relax’ while preparing for the final in Sardinia next month.
The change in the calendar is due to conflicts in the Middle East, which have led the FIA and WRC to cancel their stage in Saudi Arabia, which was scheduled from November 11 to 14. As a consequence, the season will close one round earlier than planned.
Evans, who currently leads the standings, has a 17-point advantage over his teammate Sami Pajari, while Oliver Solberg, winner of Rally Chile, is 21 points behind. With 35 points still at stake in the gravel stages in Sardinia, Evans acknowledges that the competition is not decided.
‘Ultimately, there is still a lot of work to do to secure the title,’ Evans highlighted. ‘I cannot afford to relax and I have to face June as if it were any other round.’ His comments underline that, despite the advantage, he will need to maintain a high level of competition to overcome unexpected obstacles, such as a puncture that recently hindered him.
Evans expressed his desire for a replacement round, like the possible Rally Catalunya, which could have filled the gap left by Saudi Arabia. ‘I would have been happy to have a substitution. I don’t know what really happened behind the scenes,’ he commented.
The championship director, Eric Boullier, justified the decision to cancel the round with a focus on participant safety: ‘This is not an easy decision. It is a decision made by all involved to ensure the safety of the competition.’ Although the cancellation has been disappointing for the teams, Millener, from M-Sport-Ford, believes the decision was correct.
The WRC is now preparing for an intense and exciting final in Sardinia, with eyes set on the title that could finally be Evans’s.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
