The World Rally Championship starts this week in Monte Carlo. The rally is run from Thursday to Sunday.
1. Ott Tänak posing a tough challenge to Kalle Rovanperä
The World Rally Championship starts after a 20-year break under the command of the Finnish world champion. Kalle Rovanperä goes to defend the championship on the legendary roads of the World Rally Championship in Monte Carlo.
Last year’s World Championship runner-up Ott Tänak after the disappointing Hyundai years, moved to M-Sport’s Ford to chase Rovanperä’s scalp.
Toyota team manager Jari-Matti Latvala believes that the starting season will be more consistent than last season. Latvala sets moderate expectations for Rovanpera at the start of the season.
– Kalle has no pressure. The championship is already in the pocket. Monte is not Kalle’s favorite horse. I don’t expect Kalle to win there. A good opening from Monte and then to Sweden, which could be strong for Kalle, Latvala states.
According to Latvala, a good opening could be, for example, Rovanperä’s first podium finish in Monte Carlo.
Sports expert Henri Haapamäki believes that Rovanperä will immediately hit at the beginning of the season. Haapamäki doesn’t believe in talk of a “championship hangover.”
– Motivation is humiliating others and beating others. Yes, there is that hunger. I don’t believe in a championship hangover at all. It’s all in the game. Losing feels just as horrible whether you are a champion or not, says Haapamäki.
Latvala calculated that Toyota had five different championships after the double championship season.
According to Latvala, getting motivation to the previous level after one championship requires work and reminds of Ott Tänak. The Estonian’s hunger has grown since the 2019 championship, when nothing new has come.
– Tänak has a great spark to win the championship. Kalle just needs to maintain the same level as last season. Fortunately, however, Kalle is so young that it is easier to maintain motivation then than in his thirties, says Latvala.
However, according to both Latvala and Haapamäki, Tänak will pose a big challenge to Toyota, of course not forgetting Hyundai, which improved at the end of last season.
– Ford’s car has not been bad. There has only been a driver giving the last rivet. I believe that with Tänak’s experience, we can get everything out of the car, Haapamäki says.
2. Lapland can win races with Hyundai – Latvala admits the information leak
Ott Tänak’s move from Hyundai to M-Sport Ford started an interesting domino effect in the driver game.
Latvala had repeated throughout the fall that there is no need to change the lineup that wins championships. Toyota was driven last season by Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and those who alternated in the seat of the triple driver Sébastien Ogier and Esapekka Lappi.
When Tänak decided to leave Hyundai, the team reacted quickly by contacting Lapp and offering a full-season contract.
According to Latvala, Toyota had to continue with the same lineup before Tänak announced his intentions.
– It would have been great to have Esapekka in the team. Hyundai reacted immediately and made an offer to Esapeka. We were only able to offer half the season because Ogier wants to drive for about half the season. It was completely understandable that Esapekka took Hyundai’s offer for a full season, Latvala opens.
Latvala admits that due to Lapland’s transfer, information leaks from Toyota to its worst competitor.
– Having driven in different teams, I know that information always goes with the driver. Can not help it. You just have to accept the loss. You have to live with it, Latvala states.
Haapamäki sees that Lappi tells his new team all the information affecting driving.
– When talking about an experienced driver like Lap, his strong knowledge is wanted in the new team. We hear how different things were handled in the team and how certain things played out with the Toyota car, says Haapamäki.
According to Haapamäki, Lap has excellent chances of success and he can challenge his teammate for the title of the best Hyundai driver. In addition to Lapland, a Belgian will drive Hyundai for a full season Thierry Neuville. Craig Breen and Dani Sordo share a third car.
3. Will Sébastien Ogier immediately put a bone in the throat of Kalle Rovanpera?
Toyota’s driver’s side will therefore see changes when Takamoto Katsuta drive in the main Toyota team in those races where Sébastien Ogier does not drive.
The Japanese Katsuta managed to drive a WRC car in Toyota’s development team for two full seasons. The 29-year-old Katsuta reached the podium for the first time last season, when he was third in the Safari Rally in Kenya and in his home race in Japan.
However, Ogier will be at his home race in Monte Carlo at the wheel of a Toyota. Katsuta rides in the “Next Generation” team.
According to Haapamäki, the situation is now such that Ogier can drive without pressure as long as things take shape and then he can throw in the towel if he wants to.
-If the wins start to fall and the championship belt is supported, when will the first intermediate competition come? Haapamäki speculates on Ogier’s enthusiasm to compete properly this year.
Of course, the first intermediate race has already been locked. Ogier will not drive the second race of the season in Sweden.
Team manager Latvala believes that Ogier is Toyota’s strongest winning candidate in the opening race of the season. After all, Monte Carlo is Ogier’s home race. Last year, Ogier was in a winning battle tinged with conkers Sébastien Loebiauntil a flat tire on the last special test ruined the dreams.
At the turn of the year, Latvala described to Urheilu that Ogier will drive “roughly seven races” in the starting season, i.e. about half a season. Ogier’s former teammate and current boss Latvala also sees that the eight-time world champion is hungry.
– When a 22-year-old boy (Rovanperä) won the championship, you could see the desire to win in Ogier’s expression. It hasn’t disappeared. A small annoyance appeared at the end of the season. Now that he runs fewer races, his hunger remains well maintained, Latvala states.
According to Latvala, Katsuta was perhaps the most consistent driver in the World Championship last season.
– I expect that he will be able to maintain last season’s level. It would help in scoring. When there is even more self-confidence, there will be improvement. In Sweden, “Taka” could be among the top four, says Katsuta.
4. Toyota’s car has been visibly renewed – Latvala reveals the background
Toyota, led by Jari-Matti Latvala, can have no other goal than to continue its streak after the championships of the past few years. At the end of last season, however, it was seen that Hyundai was closing in on Toyota’s lead.
Toyota has tried to develop its car as much as the limitations allow. One visible change has been seen in the Monte Carlo World Rally tests.
The car has had side horns meant for freezing the hybrid engine, which have now been removed. Now the car only has grill openings to cool the engine.
– This should improve the aerodynamics of the rear end of the car. The rear end of the car has been something that drivers have sometimes complained about. An attempt has now been made to increase the grip of the rear end. I hope we have succeeded in that. I trust that this is a good step forward, says Latvala.
The Toyota car’s hybrid engine has also undergone improvements after learning from the debut season. Haapamäki believes that, like Toyota, other teams have been able to make similar changes.
– Now we have received data about the hybrid and have made the desired engine. Surely everyone has the same amount of information. I believe that the start of last season woke up Hyundai, for example. We have ticked the box that everything must be ready now, says Haapamäki.