Evans suffered heavily on Thursday in the role of road-sweeper and is only ninth after the first full day of running. Both Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä – his rivals in the fight for the world championship – managed to get ahead of the Welshman. Ogier holds seventh place in the rally, and Rovanperä climbed to eighth on the afternoon loop.
Ogier and Rovanperä will start Friday’s stages behind Evans and, on paper, both have clearly better road positions. Evans wasn’t quite sure how his Thursday had gone.
“In terms of this afternoon, I’m not entirely sure. The guys ahead of us are setting a strong pace – and so are those behind them. It’s hard to say exactly how well you’re doing when the road is changing so quickly,” Evans summed up.
Evans did admit outright that he clearly suffered from his road position on Thursday.
“When you’re that early on the road, the effect is obviously greater than further back in the pack. Everything accumulates,” he said.
“I can’t say I’m enjoying it massively. I’m sure you understand – the conditions are tough, and this isn’t the kind of driving that gives you the biggest thrill. But that’s how it is,” he continued.
On Friday in Saudi Arabia, we may already see decisive moments in the world championship battle. A long and demanding day lies ahead.
“I believe it’s going to be a long and tough day. There’s still a long loop tomorrow, so we’ll try to stay out of trouble. We can’t afford to damage tyres – even that may be difficult with stages of this length,” Evans planned.
Evans is chasing the first world title of his career in Saudi Arabia, so the pressure is undoubtedly immense. Still, he is trying not to think about it.
“I’m just driving,” he stated.
