Hyundai has already secured this year’s drivers’ championship, with Thierry Neuville holding a 25-point lead over teammate Ott Tänak. However, the manufacturers’ championship remains undecided, with Hyundai leading Toyota by 15 points.
Check out the current WRC standings here.
Toyota will need a near-perfect performance in its home rally to leapfrog Hyundai and clinch the title.
“It’s crunch time. The situation is very different from what it has been in previous seasons while I’ve been team principal. Now we’re the ones chasing going into the final rally,” Latvala summarised for RallyJournal.com.
“We still have a chance at the manufacturers’ championship, but it requires a near-flawless weekend. The stakes are high, but everyone is highly motivated, and that’s the most important thing.”
Latvala became Toyota’s team principal in 2021. Since then, Toyota has secured both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles every year. Now, the team faces the possibility of finishing the season without any titles.
Due to the WRC’s current points system, creating large points gaps has become increasingly difficult. Essentially, Toyota’s drivers will need to outperform Hyundai’s stars throughout the entire weekend on Japan’s asphalt stages.
“On Wednesday, we’ll sit down and go through the strategy for the rally. The fact is, we must aim for victory – there’s no other objective. Nothing less than winning will be enough for us. We have to win the rally on Saturday, we have to win it on Sunday, and we need to secure the Power Stage as well,” Latvala stated emphatically.
“This requires everything from us. We’re at a point where it’s all or nothing.”
Latvala sees one key advantage for Toyota. Neuville is on the brink of his first individual world championship title, which means he may adopt a cautious approach to secure the points he needs.
Toyota’s drivers, on the other hand, have nothing to lose. Elfyn Evans, Sebastien Ogier, and Takamoto Katsuta have the freedom to push flat out from the very first stage.
“It’s clear that Neuville would be crazy to take big risks in this situation. He’ll likely aim to finish within the top five,” Latvala predicted.
“If other drivers, like Adrien Fourmaux, who has been driving well this season, manage to slot themselves between Neuville and our drivers, that would help us significantly. The more cars between us, the better.”
Rally Japan begins on Thursday with the shakedown and the opening super special stage.
