In the tarmac event that ended on Sunday, the only certainty was that a Hyundai driver will celebrate the world championship at the season’s final race. Thierry Neuville, who finished third in Central Europe, has a 25-point lead over his teammate Ott Tänak, who took his second win of the season in the Central European Rally.
Neuville’s points lead is such that he can drive conservatively in the season-ending Rally Japan to secure his first world title. The Belgian can only lose the championship to his teammate if he completely fails in Japan, while Tänak delivers a perfect performance.
Among Toyota’s drivers, Elfyn Evans is third in the championship standings, but he no longer has even a theoretical chance of winning the title. Evans finished second in Central Europe.
Evans’ teammate Sebastien Ogier, however, crashed out from the rally lead on Sunday and ended up with no points. Ogier dropped to fourth in the standings, behind the Welshman.
In the manufacturers’ championship, Hyundai still has a strong grip on the title, with a 15-point lead over Toyota. The gap is not impossible, but in practice, Toyota will need to perform almost perfectly in their home event in Japan.
Without Ogier’s Sunday retirement, Toyota could have narrowed the gap to under ten points.
