Rovanperä ran into trouble straight away on Friday morning, losing several minutes due to a suspension failure. In the end, the Finn finished sixth and collected the third-highest number of points on Sunday. However, the title fight already requires something of a miracle, as Elfyn Evans leads by 24 points and Sébastien Ogier by 21, with only the season finale in Saudi Arabia remaining at the end of November.
“It’s not in our hands anymore. Obviously in Saudi we can still have a good results and it needs some some bad result for the others. So it’s not maybe in our hands so much anymore but that’s how it is. We still try to do a good job there” Rovanperä summed up.
For Rovanperä to become champion, both Evans and Ogier would need to fail spectacularly in Saudi Arabia. The new addition to the World Rally Championship calendar could, however, prove extremely challenging in terms of conditions. For the drivers, the event remains quite a mystery.
“I think there is quite a big chance that something will happen for many guys. The roads look like there is a lot of chances for many things. Let’s say they are quite tricky stages with lot of stones around and everything. So you never know. But obviously it’s not so much in our hands anymore,” Rovanperä said.
The Rally Japan has not been kind to Rovanperä. On Sunday, heavy rain added to his woes, turning the special stages treacherously slippery.
“It was a difficult final day because the weather was so tricky. It definitely wasn’t easy. I really don’t like it when there’s a lot of standing water on the road. It’s sketchy to drive in the rain when the car is constantly aquaplaning. In those conditions, you don’t feel very confident in the car,” Rovanperä admitted.
“It looks like we just can’t make this rally into a good weekend. Nothing new there, really.”
In January, Rovanperä will switch disciplines, as he moves on to circuit racing. Having recently completed his first tests, he won’t continue testing before the rally season concludes.
“In between, I’ve got nothing planned — just a couple of weeks’ holiday,” Rovanperä remarked.
