Latvala took on the role of team principal at the beginning of 2021, and since then, Toyota has won both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ world championships every year.
Latvala has been renewing his team principal contract with Toyota on a year-by-year basis. A new contract is now in the works.
“I only have a contract until the end of this year, so we still need to renew it. At some point in the autumn, we need to start discussing how next year will go,” Latvala told RallyJournal.com.
Latvala faces tough negotiations with Toyota, as the most experienced driver in the history of the World Rally Championship wants to drive more than he currently does. Latvala competed in Rally Finland this summer, as well as last year, but his passion is increasingly leaning towards historic rallying.
Latvala dreams of competing in a full season of the European Historic Rally Championship in his Toyota Celica, possibly as early as next year. This would bring its own challenges in balancing his main job.
“We’ve been trying to find a solution for how it could work if the events overlap. And how to combine my work role in such a way that I can still drive.”
“Of course, it’s been great to do this job as team principal; it’s a fantastic role. But it’s demanding, and it involves a lot of travel. Next year there are 14 WRC rallies, and if I intend to drive myself, I have to be honest: if I drive, I won’t be able to attend all the WRC rounds,” Latvala admitted.
In early August, Toyota’s sporting director Kaj Lindström handled the team principal duties at Rally Finland, while Latvala competed in the WRC2 category driving Toyota’s Rally2 car. Last year, Latvala was behind the wheel of a Rally1 car in his home rally, with Toyota’s top boss Akio Toyoda nominally serving as team principal.
Latvala hopes that a suitable continuation package can be worked out for him.
“We’re trying to find a balance in what needs to be done. I, of course, need to discuss with my employer to see if we can find a good compromise,” Latvala said.
