Traditionally, news about next season’s team spots would emerge soon after the Rally Finland, but the new trend has been that such announcements now often come later in the year.
Toyota’s situation is particularly interesting. The team has publicly stated its desire to bring in new young talent, and Sami Pajari is considered a strong candidate in this regard.
Pajari drove a Rally1 car for the first time in his career during the Finnish WRC event and exceeded expectations. He finished fourth in Finland and even set his first-ever fastest stage time in the top class. But was this performance enough to secure Pajari a spot in the WRC’s top class with Toyota’s Rally1 car next season?
“I believe we’ll have pretty much the same drivers next season as we do this season, and there won’t be any major changes in that regard,” said Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala to RallyJournal.com.
However, Pajari’s name has been marked prominently in red ink at Toyota.
“But I have to admit that Sami Pajari’s performance in Jyväskylä was so impressive that, of course, we’ve already been considering within the team whether we could give Sami more rallies next season,” Latvala revealed.
“It’s something that has sparked discussion. No decisions have been made yet, but let’s just say there is interest in the matter,” Latvala continued.
Pajari, 22, has been competing this season in the WRC2 class with Toyota’s new Rally2 car. He is currently second in the WRC2 standings, right behind Oliver Solberg. Pajari has managed to win his class in Sardinia and Poland. He also finished second in his class in Sweden and third in Latvia.
If Latvala’s words are to be trusted, Pajari could potentially secure a partial season spot alongside Sébastien Ogier. Ogier’s future hasn’t been confirmed yet, but the Frenchman has hinted that he might continue as a part-time driver for Toyota even after this season.
Ogier has skipped three WRC rallies this year but is still in the fight for the drivers’ championship. He is currently 27 points behind championship leader Thierry Neuville with four rounds remaining. Ogier has stated that he plans to compete in all the remaining rallies this season.
