Toyota’s team principal, Jari-Matti Latvala, confirmed the news after the Central European Rally concluded on Sunday.
Toyota is at risk of finishing the season without any World Championship titles for the first time since 2017, when the Japanese manufacturer returned to the WRC. Over the past three seasons, Toyota has celebrated both drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles.
It was confirmed during the Central European Rally that Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville or Ott Tänak will be crowned champion. The manufacturers’ title is still up for grabs, with Hyundai holding a 15-point lead over Toyota heading into Rally Japan.
Check out the current WRC standings here.
As a result, it was expected that Rovanperä would compete in Japan to fight for the manufacturers’ title, which Latvala had set as the team’s primary goal at the start of the season. Many were surprised to learn that Rovanperä would not be heading to Japan to race.
One of those surprised was Hyundai’s team principal, Cyril Abiteboul, though he refrained from analysing the situation too deeply.
“It’s difficult to read the dynamics going on inside the team, so I would not comment on that. I don’t know why. I just simply know, obviously, that it makes our life a bit easier,” Abiteboul told DirtFish.
Hyundai has never before won the drivers’ title in the WRC. Now, the team has a real opportunity to achieve the ultimate prize if it can also beat Toyota in the manufacturers’ championship battle.
The season-ending Rally Japan will take place from 21–24 November. Neuville, Tänak, and Andreas Mikkelsen will be driving for Hyundai on the tarmac stages, while Toyota’s line-up will feature Elfyn Evans, Sebastien Ogier, and Takamoto Katsuta.
