Toyota’s probabilities of successful the World Rally Championship producers’ crown are “just about gone” after Hyundai scored a 1-2-3 on the Acropolis Rally, reckons staff boss Jari-Matti Latvala.
The reigning producers’ champions endured a weekend to overlook, leaving Greece 35 factors behind Hyundai within the championship standings with solely three rounds of the season remaining.
Toyota’s rally unravelled on Friday when all three of its drivers, Sebastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta encountered issues.
Evans suffered a puncture and turbo failure on the opening stage which price the Welshman nearly 10 minutes, earlier than retiring on Saturday following a sluggish velocity roll. Katsuta crashed out on stage three whereas occupying second, having received the earlier stage.
Eight-time world champion Ogier led the rally till stage 5 when he suffered the same turbo failure to Evans, conceding greater than two-and-a-half minutes.
Plans to recuperate the misplaced floor by way of Tremendous Sunday factors have been thwarted when Ogier suffered a puncture and rolled whereas heading the Sunday classification. Ogier did nonetheless end the occasion to say 13 Saturday factors, whereas Evans added 18 factors to the pot with eight of these from Sunday’s motion.
Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Picture by: Toyota Racing
After witnessing the factors deficit to Hyundai improve, Toyota’s Latvala believes the staff ought to put title ideas apart and give attention to successful the remaining occasions in Chile, central Europe and Japan.
“It is good that he [Sebastien Ogier] can get the [Saturday] factors, however the actuality is that we lose the Sunday factors, we lose the Energy Stage factors for each championships, that are principally gone,” Latvala advised Motorsport.com.
“Hyundai begin to be ready, that with present [points] system, they’ll defend it [the lead] now for the final three remaining occasions, so they will not take such danger to lose these [titles].
“For us, the Toyota’s WRC title probabilities “just about gone” chances are high just about gone and we have to change the goal to strive, any further, to start out successful occasions.
“We have to overlook about each championships for slightly bit. Now we have been in a state of affairs the place now we have been attempting to power it and we will not power it anymore.
“We will solely do it by driving nicely by successful the occasions with out strain for the drivers. That’s the solely means and if one thing goes unsuitable with Hyundai, then it may be a large bonus.
Jari-Matti Latvala, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Picture by: Purple Bull Content material Pool
“However on the finish of the day, we have to overlook the targets and simply attempt to calm down the drivers. And if one thing nice occurs, then it might be a Cinderella story. However in the mean time, we have to overlook fascinated about the championship factors.”
Latvala described the opening day of the rally as ‘Black Friday’ and when reflecting on how the occasion unfolded, he added: “It began to go unsuitable from the start, and it saved going within the unsuitable course, however that is the way in which it’s when it goes.
“In life you may have good occasions and you’ve got dangerous occasions, you may’t have all the pieces good yearly. Now we have had three wonderful seasons, so for positive, in some unspecified time in the future comes the dangerous moments, and now we’re having it.”
He added: “There’s nothing else we may do, for me Sebastien needed to exit within the stage and he needed to attempt to go flat out as a result of we wanted Sunday factors and we wanted Energy Stage factors. With these factors, we might have been capable of preserve ourselves connected within the championship.
“Sadly, it did not work out. We needed to pay the penalty.”
