The World Rally Championship in Sardinia was no longer a serious race on the final day, with the exception of Power Stage. Sport’s expert Miikka Anttila explains how to get rid of “Sunday grief”.
Sports Expert Miikka Anttila comments on the topics of the Sardinian race.
1. Rovanpera has the gestures of a master
Last year, Rovanperä’s bad period began with the Croatian World Rally Championship, and the snowball started spinning in the wrong direction. Now Rovanperä managed to win in Croatia, and the same lift also led to a huge victory in Portugal.
The Finn does not like the competition in Sardinia, so the fifth place, spiced with four additional points on Power Stage, was an excellent success considering the circumstances.
The gap at the top of the World Series widened to 55 points when Thierry Neuville managed to collect only five points from the race. Also a Toyota teammate Elfyn Evansilla was in trouble, and he is already 81 points away from the Finn.
In the long series, no one wins all the races, but successful defensive performances are also needed, especially in the role of a plowman.
– Kalle said in an interview in Sardinia that he expects others to make mistakes. It’s great to be able to really think at that age. I can’t stop saying that the result is the result of everything you do. Now that result looks like a championship, Anttila glows.
The 55-point neck after five races is really plush.
– If, for example Ott Tänak or Neuville would win both of the following races and Rovanperä would fail completely, still being in a tie, Anttila calculates.
Especially at Power Stages, Rovanperä has been in a wild mood. He has collected 23 of Five Power’s 25 maximum points.
2. Rare a weak race for Toyota, Hyundai improving
Toyota had been on the podium 25 times in a row, but in Sardinia the pipe broke. Evans and Esapekka Lapland knocked their Yaris to the platform, and the play was interrupted. Rovanperä’s starting point and detached back wing cost so much time that he no longer had time to take part in the podium battle.
– It was pointed out that in some way both were due to driving height. The car may not have been high enough.
Although Hyundai was strong and won its first race in the hybrid era, the gap in the manufacturers ’World Cup narrowed by just 20 points. From Power Stage, Toyota scored more points than Hyunda, and Rovanperä’s great powders on the powders, for example, are valuable to the team in the long run.
– There should be three such rallies for Hyundai to catch Toyota. It must be said that when there were only two weeks between Portugal and Sardinia, it was palpable how much Hyundai had improved. How much can they improve when there is more time?
One of Hyundai’s problems is with the drive shaft, which was a concern for both Today and Neuville. It may not be easy and quick to fix.
– I don’t know what the rating says and how the part can be improved. There has been a lot of talk now about sourcing problems, and I don’t know if that will be reflected in the availability of parts then.
Anttila sees it as positive that after five races with new cars, all three teams have been able to win.
– Whenever you run a series where one dominates, it’s not a good thing. Of course, it’s really nice to be on a dominant team like we had at Volkswagen Jari-Matin (Latvala) with.
3. How to get rid of “Sunday grief”?
One of the scourges of the World Rally Championship is waiting for Power Stage on Sunday if the rankings are not a tough race. In Sardinia, this was just the case: when there is no pressure to press the gas, the tires are saved to the last.
Descriptive was Rovanperä’s statement that he felt he had driven a little too hard. Sunday driving situations are not very favorable for the sport, and Anttila has a proposal for the situation.
– It would be worth doing it so that before Power Stage everyone would get new tires, and there would be a separate area where the crew can optimize the car for Power. It could be turned into a show and show what is being done for cars by moving. It’s not necessarily just a move from place a to place b, the world’s most experienced map reader at the World Rallies hints.
The World Series will continue during Midsummer week at the Safari Rally in Kenya.