In the WRC category, all championships will be decided in the final event. Hyundai has secured the drivers’ world championship, but it’s still unclear whether the champion will be Thierry Neuville or Ott Tänak.
Neuville has a solid hold on his first world title, but Tänak, trailing by 25 points, still has a theoretical chance to overtake the Belgian.
According to M-Sport team principal Richard Millener, this is the perfect scenario for rally fans, a group he proudly includes himself in.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s heart-breaking that we’re not involved in the fight for these titles, that’s why we’re here, it’s what we do. But the fact we’re not involved won’t stop us all watching on. It’s another classic WRC fight to the end,” Millener explained on the official WRC website.
“I’m a rally fan at heart and I always will be – to watch this one play out is going to be fascinating.”
The British team boss shared who he’d put his money on.
“For the drivers’, this one is Thierry Neuville’s to lose. He’s been in a good position before, but this time he’s looking really strong,” Millener assessed.
The manufacturers’ championship will be contested between Hyundai and Toyota. Hyundai has a 15-point lead going into the Japanese asphalt rally.
“Manufacturer-wise, it’s tough, but I think you’d have to say Hyundai deserves this one. They’ve had a strong season, they made the most of the (sporting) regulation changes and it would be nice to see them do it,” Millener said.
“That’s nothing against Toyota, I’m sure they’re going to put up one heck of a fight and we’ll try to make sure we’re there to stick our oar in too,” the British boss added.
Toyota has dominated the WRC in recent seasons, capturing both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles from 2021 to 2023. Now, Hyundai has its first real shot at the grand prize.
Rally Japan will take place from 21-24 November around the city of Toyota.
