The manufacturers’ championship battle will be decided during the concluding stages of Rally Japan. On Saturday, the first provisional points were awarded, with Toyota narrowing Hyundai’s lead by four points.
Hyundai, however, still holds the upper hand with an 11-point advantage. For Toyota to have a chance at clinching the title, drivers Elfyn Evans, Sebastien Ogier, and Takamoto Katsuta will need to deliver a flawless performance on Sunday. Additionally, the team will likely need help from M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux.
Sunday’s points will be distributed based on daily stage results, with seven points for the fastest crew and descending scores for the next six (7-6-5-4-3-2-1). The Power Stage will award points to the five fastest drivers (5-4-3-2-1), which are also included in the manufacturers’ championship tally.
The maximum points a WRC team can secure on Sunday is 22 (7+6+5+4), but this alone won’t be enough for Toyota if Hyundai’s drivers occupy the next positions (5+4+3+2=14 points). This means Toyota will also be relying on Fourmaux to challenge Hyundai’s drivers during the final day.
Toyota’s team principal, Jari-Matti Latvala, has meticulously calculated the stakes.
“On Sunday, we need to look at the strategy a bit differently because we’ve been a bit more on the defensive side up to this point. But I guess Sunday is now, the matter of fact, all in,” Latvala instructed his drivers.
Toyota’s drivers don’t have any major stakes in the drivers’ championship, meaning they can fully focus on pushing for team success during Sunday’s stages.
For Hyundai, the stakes are high on both fronts: Thierry Neuville needs just two more points to secure his first world title, while Ott Tänak is going all out to collect maximum points to keep his slim title hopes alive.
Latvala predicted that the manufacturers’ championship would likely be decided on the Power Stage.
“All of our drivers basically need to go flat out because otherwise, that’s the only way we can win the manufacturers’ championship. We need to be the fastest on Sunday’s performance. We need to be the fastest on the Power Stage. But we also need to be the second fastest on both of them.”
“And still, it’s not necessarily enough. We need maximum performance on Sunday and a little bit of luck to go with that. So if Hyundai starts to secure their positions, then that might open the door for us,” Latvala explained.
Hyundai’s Tänak leads Rally Japan after Saturday, followed by Evans in second place. Ogier is third, Fourmaux fourth, and Katsuta fifth. Thierry Neuville, who suffered turbo issues on Friday, climbed to seventh by the end of Saturday.
Sunday’s final leg of Rally Japan features five special stages.
