Kalle Rovanperä’s extracts in Sweden exuded maturity. The teammates of teammate Elfyn Evans were badly confused. There has been instability in Hyundai’s stable recently, which seems to be interfering with Ott Today’s performance.
Kalle Rovanperän the performance at the Swedish World Rally Championship was convincing. The 21-year-old from Jyväskylä drove to victory by more than 20 seconds.
With his victory, Rovanperä rose to the top of the World Series. At the same time, did the Finn become even the biggest favorite world champion?
– Championship is never a cause but a consequence. This weekend was a testament to the maturity and skill level Kalle performs. He is the biggest champion favorite, Sports Expert Miikka Anttila comments.
The youngest in the history of the world championship has won the deceased Colin McRae. Scotland won World Cup gold at the age of 27. So Rovanpera has plenty of time to set a new record.
See below Rovanperä’s finish and victory interview in the Swedish rally. The story continues after the videos.
Rovanperä also led the World Championships a year ago after two races. After that came a more difficult episode. First in Croatia he drove out when the race was only five kilometers behind.
After that, there were also problems in Portugal, Sardinia and Kenya before the Finn got to celebrate the opening victory of his career in Estonia in July.
According to Anttila, Rovanperä seems to have learned effectively from the adversities he has encountered in his short World Rally career.
– If such a difficult period suddenly came and the problems started to accumulate, it would of course complicate things. However, I don’t think it would go on the wrong track as it did last year.
If Rovanperä’s extracts in Sweden were convincing, the situation of the toughest competitors seems more uncertain. To World Championship silver in the last two races Elfyn Evansilla driving in Swedish snow was quite an application.
– Evans seems to have made more mistakes in this rally than in the last two seasons combined. Is it about these new cars or his overuse? Anttila ponders.
Evans took the championship twice in front of his nose Sebastien Ogier will not run all races this season. Anttila wonders if the pressure has increased inside the helmet of Rovanperä’s teammate Evans.
– Do you think the road to the championship is now open and it’s his turn? It seems that what he is doing is not at the level he is used to seeing.
Hyundai has not received a similar blow to its new car as Toyota. The internal situation in the stable is unstable, which in Anttila’s opinion has been especially evident in the Estonian sloth There today driving.
– There is no team leader and it feels like there are wonderful rumors coming from there. It seems that Tänak is not used to working in such vagueness.
– Today is used to things happening in the team as he wants. When that’s not the case, he’s not at his best.
Of the Hyundai drivers, Anttila makes Rovanperä a tougher challenger Thierry Neuvillen. The Belgian finished sixth in Monte Carlo, but now took second place.
– Neuville has learned to work with its team, as Hyundai has been practically throughout the stable’s existence. He knows how to handle a team at the level where it is.
Esapekka Lapland drove his first race of the season in Sweden and immediately rose to the podium. Anttila glowed Lapland, which was competitive right away, even though it had driven far fewer test kilometers than the others before.
– Esapekka did exactly what she could. There is no better way to ask.
Lapland will have another opportunity at the wheel of Toyota’s WRC car at the next World Championship in Croatia in April.
– In March, we will start testing the gravel in Sardinia and the tests will follow immediately in Croatia, Lapland said.