How are the title contenders approaching the Rally Chile?

Chile is likely to spice up the title fight. In the eleventh round of the championship, Rally Chile is the second round of the season in South America, after Paraguay at the end of August. Less than ten points separate the top three in the drivers' standings, and the top five is separated by 5 points.

Leader Elfyn Evans, who has not won a rally since Kenya in March, sees his lead melt away to Kalle Rovanperä, winner on home soil in Finland, and Sébastien Ogier, who won in Paraguay and is still looking for a ninth world champion title.

“After a difficult rally, we saw clear improvements on the last day in Paraguay. The final result [2nd] is not so bad, and we are still leading the championship, so we will open the road on gravel again, recalls Elfyn Evans. Let's see what the weather is like there: if it's dry, we might face the usual Friday challenge, but if it's wet, it won't be much different from Wales in terms of mud and slipperiness, and in that case, it's not so bad to be in the lead. Either way, the roads are really nice to drive: Friday's stages are technical, with lots of crests, a bit like Finland, while the others are wider and more open, so I'm looking forward to it."

"Even though our result in Paraguay wasn't as good as we could have hoped, we still scored some good points on Sunday and the drivers' championship remains close. Unlike in Paraguay, we know what to expect in Chile., reassures Kalle Rovanperä, fifth in Encarnación and winner in 2024 in Chile. The roads are fast and flowing like in Finland, but the surface is quite different, with a harder base. Last year, I didn't feel very comfortable on the Friday stages, but we still managed to have a good rally when the conditions changed with rain and fog, and we were able to take the victory. We will do everything we can again this year to score good points."

"We haven't left the podium this year, and our goal is to continue that way."

Coming off his 65th victory in WRC, despite being fourth overall on Friday, Sébastien Ogier continues his journey towards a ninth title in Chile. The Gapençais, reinvigorated after his victory in Paraguay, having announced that Vincent Landais and he would go "win this championship" At the end of the season, he wants to maintain this momentum during an event that he enjoys but which he has not ridden much in recent years.

"It was great to win in Paraguay and get on the top step of the podium, and we'll try to continue that in Chile. We haven't been off the podium this year, and our goal is to continue that throughout the championship., recalls Sébastien Ogier, who will celebrate his 200th participation in the WRC this week. Last year was my first time in Chile since 2019 and we had an incredible pace, but we didn't manage to put everything together to have a perfect weekend. We'll do everything we can to remedy that this year. The roads are nice to drive and the atmosphere is great, as always in South America, so I'm looking forward to it."

“In Chile, it’s all about rallying. The roads are exceptional: flowing and smooth at the same time. You have to be as efficient as possible, and that comes down to your driving style and car setup. Your car has to be adaptable but easy to manage, and tire choice depends a lot on the weather, road conditions, and road position.analysis Ott Tänak, first non-pilotToyota in the ranking, winner in GreeceThere's a lot to learn on every lap, and the weather can be a lottery for every car. Our performance was compromised by punctures and a few minor issues in Paraguay, but we'll make sure we get back to form in Chile."

His teammate at Hyundai, the Northerner Adrien fourmaux, preferred with the team to withdraw the car from the classification, after narrowly missing the podium, to be able to make modifications to his Rally1 on the sidelines of the Rally of Chile, in order to maximize his chances in an event that he is only tackling for the second time in his career, the first with the Korean manufacturer.

“Last year may have been my first time competing in Rally Chile, but it quickly became one of my favorites. The challenges of the road profile and tires are exciting, especially with the differences throughout the weekend. The weather can be unpredictable; the changes in altitude expose us to a lot of fog, which never stays in the same place. The co-driver's pace notes are essential for us; we need reference points to stay on track when the weather is not on our side. Even though the result in Paraguay wasn't what we expected, our weekend was positive: we had the pace. If we can replicate that kind of performance in Chile, we'll be happy.”

As a reminder, the Rally of Chile, eleventh round of the championnat WRC, will take place from September 11 to 14, 2025, along a little over 300 km, divided into 16 special stages, as in 2024.

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