Despite winning the Secto Rally Finland for the sixth time in seven years, Toyota’s corner of the Jyväskylä service park was filled with disappointment. Even Sébastien Ogier, the winner of the rally, struggled to find much joy in his second Finland triumph in 11 years. The exit of Kalle Rovanperä, who was a title challenger in the World Rally Championship and the rally leader, cast a dark cloud over Toyota’s result and dealt a major blow to their chances in the manufacturers’ championship. Instead of overtaking Hyundai for the lead, Toyota saw their deficit increase from one to 20 points.
The weekend started with drama for Hyundai, although it is easy to forget amidst the later events. Ott Tänak’s unexpected exit from SS3 was a significant setback for both his own championship aspirations and his team. Esapekka Lappi was still in the running, but his hopes were dashed when he collided with a tree in a rutted section. Toyota also lost Takamoto Katsuta in a similar manner to Hyundai’s loss of Lappi. However, this did not soften the blow for Toyota, as they had locked out the entire podium overnight while Hyundai only had Thierry Neuville in fourth place. Tänak’s absence for the entire weekend meant that any further mistakes from Neuville or Lappi would cost Hyundai valuable points.
Elfyn Evans was the first domino to fall for Toyota. He lost a front driveshaft on the second stage of Saturday and lost a significant amount of time trying to get his car back to service. He was out of contention, which gave Neuville an opportunity to gain ground in the drivers’ championship. However, Kalle Rovanperä still comfortably led the rally with Ogier in second, positioning Toyota to score big points in the manufacturers’ championship.
Sunday turned the tide of the rally. Ogier emerged as the eventual winner, while Rovanperä’s rally ended abruptly when he hit a rock and crashed. Evans also crashed on the same stage, ending his chances of scoring points on Super Sunday. This gave Neuville and Hyundai the opportunity to score more points. The Super Sunday points played a crucial role in the swing of the manufacturers’ championship. Retiring on the final day of a rally has always been the worst time to do so, as there is no chance to salvage anything under the super-rally rule. Toyota experienced the harsh consequences of this rule change in Finland.
The new points system introduced in 2024 made Sunday’s events even costlier for Toyota. The inability to collect Super Sunday points and the loss of Saturday’s points had a significant impact. Before the crashes of Evans and Rovanperä, they were leading the Super Sunday standings. In the end, Hyundai scored more points on Super Sunday, and the loss of Rovanperä’s Saturday points was a painful blow for Toyota. The combination of losing a leading car late in the rally and the timing of the crash on Sunday made it a devastating setback for Toyota.
Ogier expressed his dissatisfaction with the new points system, stating that winning the rally did not yield any extra championship points for him or Toyota. He advocated for a return to the old points system, which he believed was more rewarding and made more sense. Despite struggling and feeling that Hyundai lacked performance in Finland, Neuville was able to outscore Toyota by a significant margin. His own lead in the championship doubled from 13 to 27 points.
Rally Finland serves as a reminder that in rallying, even with the fastest car, nothing is guaranteed. It is ironic that Toyota’s pain stemmed from what would conventionally be a moment of great gain.
Photo from Elfyn Evans Instagram
