In the aftermath of the World Rally Championship in Sardinia, it was especially the Hyundai driver who spoke Esapekka Lapin destiny. Lappi was not allowed to win, but instead drove a Toyota by Sébastien Ogier after the interruption, so quietly that the team mate Thierry Neuville won the competition.
Team manager of the worst competitor, Toyota Jari-Matti Latvala could see from Esapekka Lapi’s comments and the dismay on her face that surely some kind of instructions had been given.
– At Toyota, we have a policy that we do not issue garage orders. It is only a last resort if you are in the last race and you need to secure the brand championship, Latvala tells Urheilu.
Latvala says that Toyota believes in the power of pure competition.
– If we start making team regulations, it will eat the other driver. There is a danger that the stable order will be mishandled. There is a risk that the performance level of the other person will drop later if he has to always give the ranking to the other person, says Latvala.
Latvala himself has been in a similar position at M-Sport in 2010, when it was agreed before the season Mikko Hirvonen of being the number one driver and Latvala as the second driver. In the World Rally Championship, the use of team regulations is team-specific. Later in his career at Volkswagen and Toyota, Latvala did not find himself in the same situation again.
When a team order comes in the middle of a rally and the driver is somewhat surprised, the situation is unpleasant.
– If you get a phone call on the route, it’s a pretty sad moment. The feeling is paralyzing when the phone call comes. Of course, it’s a different matter if a clear role is stated at the beginning of the season. Then you can approach it differently. If it hasn’t been discussed, it’s harder to digest. Of course, we’re at work here. You have to remember that you have to listen to the bosses, says Latvala.
There is a bigger problem behind the tire complaint
Another big topic of conversation was, once again, on the closing day of the race, saving tires for the Power Stage, the climax of the race. For example Kalle Rovanperä took a strong stand on the topic during the competition.
– I think these Sunday mornings are really stupid when you have to save tires for the Power Stage. I feel sorry for the fans who come to see us and we don’t go full speed. The organizers should do something so that we get new tires for the last stretch. Then we could also enjoy the morning and still push with Power, Rovanperä opened on Sunday morning.
This will happen in the Finnish World Rally Championship at the beginning of August, because the race organizers have decided to allow the cars to change tires before the Power Stage.
– Yes, it helps a little, but now there was no competition for anyone either. It wouldn’t have been driven much harder, even if the tires had been better. There were no fighting couples of any kind. The same situation was in the previous competition in Portugal, says Latvala.
Latvala sees a bigger picture behind the tire complaint.
– There should be more cars and teams so that there are fighting pairs. This is the biggest problem. We should think about how we can get more car manufacturers involved and get costs down. In this way, it would be possible to correct the situation in principle, Latvala states.
The future of the World Rally Championship has been talked about for a long time. Now we drive hybrid cars, but they are expensive. The price of the current rally1 car is estimated to be up to one million euros.
– All the problems are known. The FIA and the promoters know what to do. No decisions have been made about the solutions. They are being negotiated a lot now. The current cars were supposed to run until the end of 2024. Now that time has passed, there will hardly be any new technology for 2025. It will probably be for 2026 and 2027, Latvala estimates.
Kalle Rovanperä’s maturity is delightful
Even though the worst rival Hyundai took its first win of the season and at the same time took the top two places in the race, Latvala was still happy with the victory after Ogier’s mistake.
Latvala praised Kalle Rovanperä’s victory and by Elfyn Evans fourth place on the Power Stage. They produced a total of seven additional points. Hyundai was only able to catch Toyota by nine points.
Despite his third place, Kalle Rovanperä was also able to increase his World Series points lead. Now the difference to second placed Neuville is 25 points, which is the same reading as the points obtained from one victory.
– This shows Kalle’s mature work. He is clearly driving for the world championship. Only one win can be enough for that, when you drive steadily and get good results. You can’t stand interruptions when you’re chasing the championship. Kalle calms down and accepts the result as it is. If others make mistakes, his position is solidified, Latvala estimates.
The World Series season is now close to the halfway point. Midsummer is over, when the traditional Safari rally is contested in Kenya.
The first half of the season has gone under Toyota’s command again, although the competition has been closer than last year. The previous three drivers’ and two manufacturers’ championships have gone to Toyota.
Toyota leads the brand championship by 23 points. Toyota has also won 54.8 percent of special stages this season. In four of the six races, a Toyota driver has been seen on the highest podium.
– The season has been good. There have been quite a lot of wins. We lead both series, so then we have succeeded, Latvala sums up.