The tarmac event in Croatia ultimately ended in victory for Toyota’s French veteran Sebastien Ogier, after his teammate Elfyn Evans and Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville made minor errors on the final day.
RallyJournal.com journalists Toni Heinonen, Aki Hietavala, and Ville Hirvonen assessed each main class driver’s performance with grades (4-10).
Toni Heinonen
Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) 9
The Frenchman did exactly what was expected of him. His driving was solid, though not spectacular. His routine performance kept him in the title fight, and he capitalized when others faltered.
Elfyn Evans (Toyota) 8
Evans was fiercely battling Neuville on Saturday. At times, the Welshman pushed hard, but his approach also reflected a focus on the overall championship standings – understandably so if he aims to become the champion. However, his grade does not reach excellent this time.
Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) 8
The Belgian was strong until Saturday evening. It was clear he wanted to replicate his Monte Carlo triumph by taking maximum points. However, a mistake on Sunday morning partly spoiled his event, although he still took decent points and maintained his lead in the championship.
Ott Tänak (Hyundai) 7
Nearly a third of the season has passed, and Tänak has not been on fire even once. He wasn’t in control in Croatia either. The Estonian is significantly behind in the championship race. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Tänak still managed to take the second-largest points haul from the event
Adrien Fourmaux (M-Sport Ford) 7½
The Frenchman had higher expectations after two podium finishes, but this time the podium eluded him. He could have scored heavily on Sunday, but crashed into a barrier. However, his impressive run on the Power Stage demonstrated his potential.
Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) 6
The Toyota driver has shown flashes of speed, but something was seriously amiss in Croatia. Although he claimed the highest day-specific points on Sunday, his performance before that was lost. This event was a significant setback for him.
Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai) 5-
The Norwegian was completely off pace all weekend. His speed was essentially the same as last year, even though he upgraded from a Rally2 car to a Rally1 hybrid car. If this continues, Mikkelsen’s return to the top class will be very short-lived. Lack of experience in a Rally1 car is no excuse.
Gregoire Munster (M-Sport Ford) 5
It was yet another learning experience for Munster. Although he is less experienced than other main class drivers, it’s tough that the lead gets over five minutes away. He finished for the first time this season without major issues, but there’s little to praise.
Aki Hietavala
Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) 9+
A win is always a win, although the current points system has devalued its significance. Ogier prevailed when his two main rivals erred on Sunday. A solid performance from the Frenchman, although occasionally he seems to veer into excuses.
Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) 9-
Strong performance throughout most of the weekend. The Belgian was set to take a large points haul from Croatia too, but one error spoiled it. Still, a commendable effort.
Elfyn Evans (Toyota) 9
Commendable performance from Evans too. Not quite a perfect score, but he fought brilliantly throughout the event and secured second place. He remains Neuville’s strongest challenger in the championship.
Adrien Fourmaux (M-Sport Ford) 8+
Another good performance from the Frenchman! Dominating the Power Stage was a perfect score, but he couldn’t quite keep up with the leaders earlier in the event. Also, his own mistake on Sunday affected his grade. Although concrete barriers are placed after the pace-notes are made, it was still an error.
Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) 7½
Katsuta had a mixed event. He started cautiously on Friday and Saturday, which might have been the right decision given his lack of experience. However, on Sunday, he delivered a fantastic performance, scoring full points for both himself and the team.
Ott Tänak (Hyundai) 7+
It just isn’t clicking for the Estonian this time. Once again, a subdued race, and he was nowhere near the front-runners at any point. The race was lost already on Friday, and even though his times improved afterwards, it’s a small consolation. Fortunately, the new points system helped Tänak secure a decent haul of points.
Gregoire Munster (M-Sport Ford) 7-
How should this be rated? He did at least finish a season event for the first time without any incidents. Yet, his pace is still quite far from the leaders, even though the Luxembourger is only at the early stages of his top-class career.
Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai) 6-
Break or no break. Lack of experience with hybrids or not. Excuses, excuses! Mikkelsen’s pace is shockingly far from his top performances. Finishing sixth and four minutes behind the leaders doesn’t leave much room for excuses.
Ville Hirvonen
Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) 9
Ogier took the opportunity to lead the rally on Sunday when Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans made mistakes. The French legend seized that chance and clinched the largest points haul from Croatia, 21 WRC points. Before Sunday, he drove consistently and made no mistakes. A commendable performance from the Frenchman.
Elfyn Evans (Toyota) 7
He made a driving error on Sunday, losing his chance to win the rally. However, he was very strong on Friday and Saturday, playing a great cat-and-mouse game with Thierry Neuville. But when it comes to the championship, there’s simply no room for the errors seen on Sunday. This significantly lowered the Welshman’s rating.
Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) 7
The same applies to the Belgian as to Evans. Without Sunday’s mistake, the rating would have been commendable. Neuville drove very strongly on tarmac, with Friday and Saturday being hits from the experienced driver. But then came that mistake…
Ott Tänak (Hyundai) 6
This early season has been personally the biggest disappointment for me. I expected Tänak to start producing strong results for Hyundai from day one, but that hasn’t happened. He still seems to be searching for balance in his driving and his confidence is lost. For the championship battle, it would be hopeful for the Estonian to wake up as the “gravel season” starts. It would be fantastic to see Tänak competing with Neuville and Evans for the championship!
Adrien Fourmaux (M-Sport Ford) 8
This would have been a nine if not for a small error on Sunday. However, the rating is tipped towards good because the practical WRC third-placer had made no mistakes before Croatia. On top of everything, he set the fastest time on the Power Stage, which surely wasn’t in many people’s predictions. He got another chance with Rally1 equipment this season and has used it almost maximally so far. Who said Ford doesn’t have any star drivers this season?
Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) 8
He won “Super Sunday”. He started the rally quite cautiously, which was probably the right decision. When experience is limited, it’s wise to drive prudently. Especially since this new nonsensical points system allows for it. Katsuta is on the right track. Time will tell if the Japanese can become a future event winner. The ingredients are there.
Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai) 5
Once again, he lost minutes to the leaders and couldn’t find good form at any stage. Expectations weren’t high, but one would rather see someone like Teemu Suninen in Mikkelsen’s place. Now the Norwegian is literally just participating in the championship.
Gregoire Munster (M-Sport Ford) 5
He’s driving the second M-Sport Ford. There’s not much else to say about this guy throughout the season. Like Mikkelsen, he’s just participating and increasing the number of Rally1 drivers. Another very lackluster performance. Munster’s weakness is embarrassingly highlighted by the fact that his teammate Adrien Fourmaux is from a completely different planet.
