The WRC continues this weekend in Sardinia, Italy. Hyundai has dominated the event in recent years, securing five wins in the past six years.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville did not perform at his best in the Rally de Portugal earlier in May, but thanks to the new scoring system, he managed to extend his lead over Elfyn Evans in the drivers’ championship.
Neuville leads the drivers’ standings by 24 points ahead of Sardinia. Toyota’s part-time driver Sebastien Ogier has been securing victories in recent rallies but has played it safe on Sundays, resulting in Toyota not collecting as many points as possible.
Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala admitted that his team needs to perform better. Improvement is especially needed from Evans.
“Performance isn’t our problem, but we need more consistency from the drivers,” Latvala told RallyJournal.com.
Hyundai threatens to pull away unless Toyota gets better performances from its drivers. Ogier can support the team in the manufacturers’ championship, but Evans is the only Toyota driver fighting for the drivers’ title this season. The Welshman needs to find more consistent form.
“That’s true. We need to step it up. We must improve to prevent Hyundai from escaping,” Latvala admitted.
Sebastien Ogier has won the last two events. Latvala trusts the French multi-champion in Sardinia as well, but a hungry challenger lurks in the background.
“I have a strong feeling that Ogier will be in top form in Sardinia, but it will be interesting to see what Ott Tänak can do. He’s managed to stay in the fight somewhat stealthily. He hasn’t necessarily driven exceptionally well, but the new scoring system has helped him stay in the championship battle. That surely motivates and helps him. I believe he will be stronger now. I think Ogier and Tänak could be the ones to push harder on Saturday,” Latvala previewed the sixth round of the season.
