After three rounds, Evans already holds a commanding lead in the drivers’ standings.
The Welshman has taken two wins and one second place from the opening three rallies, collecting an impressive 88 points. At the same time, the Toyota star has managed to open up a substantial 36-point gap over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, who sits second in the standings.
Evans has clearly appeared more relaxed this season, and it has shown in his performances. His driving has been smooth and confident, and he has combined that with strong results.
Co-driver Scott Martin is perhaps the best person to comment on what has changed. There has been plenty of speculation that Kalle Rovanperä’s return as a full-time driver to the WRC may have eased the pressure on Evans.
“There’s no denying it’s been a great start to the season for Elfyn and I,” Scott Martin wrote in his column for DirtFish.
However, Martin was quick to point out that Evans’ strong form actually started last season, even though the world title slipped away after a few major mistakes.
“I’ve heard a few folk talking about us turning a page or trying to figure what’s changed for this year. I’m not sure anything has changed this year. Safari was our sixth podium on the bounce and a third win from six starts,” Martin highlighted.
Evans was also heavily involved in the title fight last season. However, the Toyota driver encountered problems and lost his shot at the championship. By the final round in Japan, only two drivers remained in the battle. Ultimately, Thierry Neuville edged out his teammate Ott Tänak to clinch his first world title. Evans finished second in the standings after Tänak retired from the final rally.
“Go back a bit further, to the middle of last year and we were right in the thick of the fight for the title with Ott and Thierry. Then we had a driveshaft problem and a crash in Finland, came away from there with a big fat zero and the championship chance started to fade a bit.,” Martin recalled.
Martin also pointed to calculations previously made by DirtFish: Evans has scored the most WRC points of any driver since 2020. His performance level has been consistently high for a long time – it’s just that certain mistakes and issues have cost him the championship.
“Everything feels good right now. Even in Sweden, there were no moments, nothing erratic, everything just felt under control. People are asking me if I’ve seen a change in Elfyn, but I honestly haven’t – he’s in a good groove right now and it’s working. I think you know Elfyn’s a bit of a perfectionist, but in this sport you have to be a bit more adaptable and understanding of the fact that conditions change and you have to compromise. That’s where Elfyn is right now: he’s leaving room for those moments when the car’s not completely perfect or the there’s something with the tire or something like that,” Martin praised.
