The Welshman’s car experienced a transmission failure, costing him almost a minute and a half on Päijälä and nearly five minutes on the classic Ouninpohja stage. As a result, Evans dropped from second to eighth in the standings.
If and when Toyota’s mechanics fix Evans’ car, the third-place driver in the WRC standings can easily catch up with WRC2 competitors Jari-Matti Latvala and Oliver Solberg. Following that, Sami Pajari, who is solidly in fifth place in his first competition with a Rally1 car, may become a pawn in the game.
Team principal Jari-Matti Latvala, who is also competing in the rally, admitted that it’s very likely the young Finnish driver might be used strategically in the championship fight. Although Pajari’s gap to Evans is nearly four and a half minutes, team orders could potentially drop Pajari behind Evans to give the Welshman a better points haul on Saturday.
“Honestly, it’s something we are likely considering. We haven’t been very keen on using team orders. Now the situation is different since Sami is only driving one rally this year. The threshold to make a decision is easier now,” Latvala told RallyJournal.com.
This time, however, Latvala himself doesn’t need to worry too much about making the call.
“As I said, they will decide. I don’t have to decide now; I can just focus on my own competition,” Latvala stated.
“Considering the rest of the season, these things will surely need to be considered. The competition is so tight, and it’s hard to gain points.”
Pajari himself hadn’t even thought about the possibility when RallyJournal.com asked him about it.
“Oh no. It’s quite an unfortunate situation if that happens. It doesn’t really affect my situation in any way. You’re the first to ask about it. There’s still a long rally ahead, and anything can happen. Anything is possible.”
