The competition ultimately ended in a 1-2 finish for Toyota, with Kalle Rovanperä taking the win and Elfyn Evans coming second. The result was crucial for Toyota in the manufacturers’ championship, as they managed to reduce Hyundai’s lead to 17 points.
Hyundai couldn’t match the pace of the Toyota drivers this time. Ott Tänak from Hyundai finished third, and championship leader Thierry Neuville came fourth.
RallyJournal.com journalists Toni Heinonen, Aki Hietavala, and Ville Hirvonen rated each top-class driver’s performance with school grades, where 10 is the highest and 4 the lowest score.
Toni Heinonen
Kalle Rovanperä 9+ (Position: 1st)
Rovanperä’s weekend felt somewhat routine. However, when your routine level is already extremely high, even such a performance can be enough to secure a win. Friday didn’t quite go to plan, but when the conditions became tougher, the Finnish star was back in his comfort zone.
I have to add a funny fact I just realised. This season, I’ve skipped four WRC rounds: Kenya, Poland, Latvia, and Chile. And in all of these rallies, Rovanperä has celebrated victory. Maybe I should skip more rally trips…
Elfyn Evans 9 (Position: 2nd)
Well, the Welshman still has the speed! Evans had struggled in the previous rallies, but in Chile, we got another glimpse of the Toyota driver’s competitiveness. At one point, it even looked like Evans might take his first win of the season. However, that remains to be seen. Nonetheless, this was Evans’ best performance of the season.
Ott Tänak 8½ (Position: 3rd)
Tänak was expected to be one of the main favourites for the win, but it didn’t go as planned. From Saturday onwards, Toyota’s Rovanperä and Evans pulled away from the Estonian. To Tänak’s credit, it seems that Hyundai’s equipment fell slightly behind Toyota’s in Chile. Tänak remained in the title fight, but a larger points haul would have been necessary.
Thierry Neuville 8+ (Position: 4th)
Now the Belgian can breathe a sigh of relief, as the final rally of the season where he had to sweep the road is behind him. Neuville stuck to his plan and secured decent points for the championship. Nothing flashy, but no mistakes either. In the upcoming tarmac rally, the Hyundai star already has a chance to seal his first title.
Adrien Fourmaux 8 (Position: 5th)
The Frenchman’s pace was once again at a good level, as evidenced by his two fastest stage times – the same number as rally winner Rovanperä. A technical issue on Friday and the resulting one-minute time penalty knocked him out of contention for the top spots. However, Fourmaux’s performance level didn’t falter this time either. The Frenchman has been one of the most consistent drivers of the season overall.
Sami Pajari 8 (Position: 6th)
His second race in a Rally1 car was a solid performance – at the very least! On Friday, Pajari’s pace was remarkably good. But as conditions became more difficult from Saturday onwards, Pajari understandably pulled back. At this point, it’s unnecessary to fight for top positions at the risk of taking too many chances when the main goal is to accumulate mileage. A mature performance, without a doubt!
Gregoire Munster 8- (Position: 7th)
What’s going on here? This man has been criticised all season, but now he seemed like a different driver. On Friday, Munster was genuinely in the fight for the top spots. After that, the story was similar to Pajari – driving safely in the slippery conditions and at almost the same pace as the Finn. Now you can give a thumbs-up to the Luxembourg driver with good reason.
Martins Sesks 5½ (Position: 24th)
Sesks found it much more difficult this time, as he wasn’t on familiar ground anymore. The rally went off track right from the start when his Ford slipped into a bank, and then he retired after suffering two punctures. On Saturday, he had to act as the road sweeper. This wasn’t the same impressive performance as in Poland and Latvia, but it was still an important learning experience for the young driver.
Sebastien Ogier 5½ (Position: 36th)
Ogier clocked the most fastest stage times of the whole group, but his title hopes crumbled. On Friday, he made a driving error, hit a ditch, and had to change a tyre. On Saturday, he retired after hitting a loose rock. Sunday was more positive as he set the fastest times on every stage and collected crucial points for Toyota in the manufacturers’ championship battle. Although Ogier scored 12 points, we can’t give him a better grade than this.
Esapekka Lappi 4½ (Retired)
There’s nothing but criticism for Lappi this time. If you only manage to crack the top five in stage times twice and otherwise just try to hang on at the back of the Rally1 pack, it doesn’t look good. Lappi’s task was to secure points for Hyundai in case something happened to Tänak or Neuville, but the pace should have been much better. On Sunday, he tried to push, but in doing so, damaged his car and had to retire before the final stage, where co-driver Janne Ferm was supposed to announce his retirement. Nothing positive to say about Lappi’s performance, but a big hat-tip to Ferm for an outstanding career!
Aki Hietavala
Kalle Rovanperä 10-
28 points out of a possible 30. Kalle once again demonstrated his expertise in challenging conditions. His fourth win of the season. That’s a good record.
Elfyn Evans 8½
Evans’ best race of the year. Still, he lacked pace at the crucial moments. Perhaps this is a good building block for next year. The Welshman’s package is finally coming together.
Ott Tänak 8
Back on the podium, but does that satisfy the Estonian? I doubt it. He struggled with his car all weekend, so in that sense, this was a small victory. He managed to close the gap to Neuville slightly in the championship.
Thierry Neuville 8
Neuville has mastered the new points system. He hasn’t been the fastest all season, but he’s certainly been the most consistent. It seems that nothing can now stop the Belgian from winning his first world championship. The final two rallies are on tarmac, which should suit the series leader perfectly.
Adrien Fourmaux 8-
A very good race from him. Bad luck on Friday and he had to play mechanic before the stage. Without the one-minute time penalty, he would surely have fought for a podium.
Sami Pajari 8
Nothing remarkable, but exactly what was expected. The cool-headed Finn is breaking into the WRC spotlight.
Gregoire Munster 7
In theory, it should be a six, as he’s the best of the rest. Still, Munster finished a rally for the first time in a while. That alone deserves a high five.
Martins Sesks 6
Well, it’s hard to assess. Rookies shouldn’t be thrown to the wolves. He gained valuable experience in a top-class car, no doubt. Hopefully, his development continues, and he can compete outside of the Baltics.
Sebastien Ogier 6
A mistake ended Ogier’s title challenge. He did make up for it on Sunday, though. Many talk about the importance of luck, but if you run a part-time season, you need a lot of luck to fight for the championship.
Esapekka Lappi 4
A terrible race and a terrible result. Retired before the final stage. It’s a shame if the career of such a great rally driver ends like this.
Ville Hirvonen
Kalle Rovanperä 10
A perfect performance from the Finn. He overcame Friday’s difficulties and ultimately took a very convincing win. Especially in the thick fog, his performance was breathtaking. It says something about Rovanperä’s competitiveness that he was visibly disappointed by his 0.1-second loss to Ogier in the Power Stage.
Elfyn Evans 9
Evans has had a tough season, but now the Welshman seemed to get back on track, so to speak. He couldn’t quite keep up with Rovanperä in the end, but he secured crucial points for the team. This success must have felt good after a difficult season.
Ott Tänak 8
It feels like something is still missing from Tänak’s performance this season, and Chile was no different. He scored important points for his team, and the drivers’ championship is still theoretically possible. He didn’t make any major mistakes, but something is lacking. Perhaps he’ll come back stronger next season when he continues with the same team?
Thierry Neuville 9
He finished fourth, but he deserves a high score for his performance. He didn’t get frustrated but remained focused throughout. He understood that he didn’t need to win, and a solid points haul was enough. He has clearly matured this season and deserves his first championship.
Adrien Fourmaux 7
Pretty standard stuff. No exceptional speed, but no big mistakes either. The Frenchman has found consistency this season and has brought Ford home reliably. Will all of this lead to a seat at Hyundai next season?
Sami Pajari 9
Pajari had nothing left to prove to Toyota after his excellent Rally Finland. But he showed maturity by not trying to prove anything. He just brought the car home and demonstrated patience, even in challenging conditions. This man’s future looks bright right now.
Gregoire Munster 8
I have to give him some praise. He drove probably the best WRC rally of his career and, at times, was very fast. He eventually had to concede to better drivers, but he finally showed some real talent.
Martins Sesks 6
A bit tougher this time. He ruined his rally right at the start by hitting the edge of the road, which resulted in two punctures. After that, he spun here and there and even left his rear wing behind. Chile was an important learning experience for Sesks. When conditions are demanding, you need to adjust your speed accordingly. The Latvian wasn’t able to do that this time.
Sebastien Ogier 6
He made a small mistake and broke his car. As a result, he had to retire, and his chances of winning the championship vanished. He made up for it on Sunday, helping the team with his Super Sunday win and Power Stage victory. Ogier usually makes a mistake once a season, but now he’s had two in a row.
Esapekka Lappi 5
Oh dear. Lappi broke his car a couple of times, and finally, on the second occasion, the radiator failed, forcing him to retire. He never found good speed or rhythm. In Lappi’s defence, it’s worth noting that team orders likely played a role, as he wasn’t allowed to fight for the win. It was a difficult final race of the season, but maybe he’ll get another chance next year?
Co-driver Janne Ferm announced his retirement. Ferm’s career at the highest level deserved a better ending, of course. The rally community will miss this colourful, humorous man! All the best for the future, Janne!
