Rally Paraguay ended in celebration for Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier, who claimed his fourth win of the season. The Frenchman’s triumph lifted him to second in the championship standings – but it could have been an even bigger haul of points.
Ogier started the final Power Stage as the last of the Rally1 runners, but a sudden downpour struck mid-stage. While most of his rivals had already completed the test in dry conditions, Ogier had to tackle part of it in heavy rain.
The dramatic change in weather may have cost him as many as nine championship points, allowing Elfyn Evans – runner-up in Paraguay – to remain at the top of the standings.
The only consolation for Ogier is that he won’t have to run as road-sweeper in the next round.
Evans now leads the championship by nine points over Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä. The Finn, who finished sixth in Paraguay, salvaged 16 points by taking second place in both the Super Sunday classification and the Power Stage.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak slipped back in the title race after finishing fifth, though he remains in touch with a 20-point deficit to the leader. Team-mate Thierry Neuville produced a strong finish, climbing to third on the final stage and bagging 25 points across the weekend. Mathematically, he is still in contention, though his gap to the front has stretched to 48 points.
Check the full WRC standings here!
In the manufacturers’ battle, the outcome already looks close to decided. Toyota holds a commanding 100-point lead over Hyundai, putting the makes’ title firmly in the Japanese marque’s grasp.
The next round of the WRC season takes place in less than two weeks’ time in Chile.
