Autumn is already far away, but the driver positions for the next season of the World Rally Championship are still open. Only Hyundai has announced contracts for next season. Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak continue in the stable.
Kalle Rovanperä confirmed to Urheilu that he will return next year as a full-time Toyota driver.
So it’s worth going through the situation team by team – speculations run hot, as is essentially the case with rally autumn.
Sports expert Henri Haapamäki thoroughly evaluates the driving game of the World Rally Championship. Listen to the conversation on the player below or from Areena via this link.
Toyota: Pajari in, Evans out?
Toyota team manager Jari-Matti Latvala the wish for the 2025 season is clear.
– The goal would be to have three full-time drivers. On top of that, additional drivers, Latvala tells Urheilu.
You can listen to the entire interview on Areena.
Toyota has fallen behind Hyundai when Kalle Rovanperä and Sebastien Ogier have driven only a partial season.
Toyota even had to ask Ogier to drive the races at the end of the season, because the Frenchman rose in Jyväskylä by Elfyn Evans past Neuville as the top challenger in the World Cup fight. Evans has not been able to drive for the championship in the entire era of rally1 cars.
When Rovanperä and Ogier are not involved at the same time, the team has collected points for Toyota Takamoto Katsuta. In the comparison of three coaches, the Japanese one has not managed to compare to Hyundai’s equivalents.
The Japanese is fast at his best, but speed has also led to mistakes. In Chile, Katsuta was completely left out and his place was taken Sami Pajari.
In light of the results, the future of both Evans and Katsuta at Toyota is at stake.
– Katsuta’s results just haven’t been such that he would drive the World Series because of them. His place would have been threatened before, if they had not otherwise wanted to give him the opportunity, Urheilu’s expert Henri Haapamäki thinks.
– I don’t consider Evans’ place to be 100% certain either. There has been speculation in circles about changing camps, Haapamäki reminds.
There are simply no alternatives for Evans. It may well be that Toyota is forced to rotate drivers, as Ogier has expressed his desire to drive only a partial season.
Toyota also needs to look to the future. Ogier doesn’t drive forever, and the same words apply to Rovapera.
There will already be 14 races in the World Rally Championship next year. You have to commit to the rally circus with tests and other obligations for the whole year, even though the season ends at the end of November. It’s a heavy tick for the Finn, which is unlikely to be resolved once and for all by one gap year after touring the World Series.
Therefore, Toyota cannot afford not to invest in Pajar. Although the contract has not been announced, team manager Latvala’s words are promising.
– Toyota wants to invest in young drivers. Sami is a good option. Basically, you should be able to drive for at least half the season. Such an option could be that he would drive the rest of the races with a rally2 car. It would gain a lot of experience, Latvala explains.
In Henri Haapamäki’s opinion, this fall’s rally1 races in Chile and the Central European rally are really important for Pajar.
– Toyota can offer such a package that Pajari cannot go elsewhere. If the talents are sufficient, Toyota will also be able to offer more races next year, Haapamäki emphasizes.
However, one name will determine when Toyota’s driver line-up is locked down.
Hyundai: Fourmaux in, Lapland out?
Hyundai team manager By Cyril Abiteboul according to the team has not yet decided whether it will continue recycling the third time. The team boss has said that Toyota’s strategy will determine whether Hyundai will consider three full-time drivers next season.
The decision can resolve Esapekka Lapin I will continue. Pieksämäkäläinen admitted this directly to Urheilu.
– I don’t know if anything is coming. There won’t be a full season, that’s for sure. I feel that the partial season is not up to me, Lappi said.
The same words also apply to other gig drivers, ie Dani Sordo and to Andreas Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen in particular would certainly be interested in a place to drive for the whole season, but that cannot be justified by the Norwegian’s results.
Abiteboul’s words should not be taken as they are. All signs point to the deciding factor for the decision being found in M-Sport rather than Toyota.
Adrien Fourmaux29, has been linked to Hyundai for next season.
Fourmaux returned to Ford this season as a full-time driver. Consistent performances and three podium places have been enough for him to be the most important piece of the driver market.
The Frenchman has collected only ten points less than Evans in the World Series with a car weaker than Toyota and Hyundai.
– Fourmaux is on the threshold of whether he will become a race winner. A lot of money has been spent on him and experience has already been accumulated. Fourmaux would certainly be suitable for Toyota as well, Haapamäki explains.
M-Sport: Evans? Sesks? Solberg?
If Fourmaux leaves M-Sport, there won’t be any competitive drivers left in the team. This way the British team would have the main drum by Malcolm Wilson game moves to be made by decision. In the second season, the team threw everything at Ott Tänak.
Now a similar option might be Evans, who could get a new start for his stagnant career in his old team. His pair of horns could have made a dazzling debut on the rally1 fleet this season Martin Sesksespecially if the Latvian gets enough support euros behind him.
Of the young promises, only one could expect immediate results. He is pushing towards the WRC2 class championship Oliver Solberg.
The Swedish-Norwegian’s background is fine, but Solberg, who drove the 2022 season as Hyundai’s factory driver, is hardly ready to be a paid driver – especially with M-Sport’s equipment, which is not as competitive as the factory teams.
If and when Fourmaux leaves, M-Sport has the team’s credibility at stake.
– One hard horse is needed for every stable. They can’t blow the place for seven whole years, Haapamäki points out.