Rally Finland – Elfyn Evans back on track?

One only has to look at the history of the rally from Finland to understand that Elfyn Evans is not as bland as his appearance and manner of speaking might suggest. The Cardiff native has two victories on this course, which is one of the most selective on the calendar. Since the creation of the Constructors' World Championship in 1973, 50 editions have been contested (cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, editor's note) and there are not many non-Nordics to have written their name on the list of winners of this round. Elfyn Evans has succeeded. Twice!

There are only three of them to have beaten the locals at least twice on their soil: Sébastien Loeb (3 successes), Sébastien Ogier (2 just like Evans). This allows us to understand the character and to say that he is capable of it. For that, the Briton will have to find the speed he had at the beginning of the year. Because his 2025 season had started superbly. It was in line with his end of 2024 where he had followed up with two second places in Chile and Central Europe then a victory (admittedly fortunate...) in Japan.

Second in Monte-Carlo behind the master of the place Sébastien Ogier, then winner in quick succession of Sweden and the Safari, Evans seemed in the form of his life. The clear leader of the championship, he could see it coming and even his 3^e rank in the Canaries had not been a bad result since he had taken points on the crews Hyundai. It is at the moment when the WRC attacked a long period on earth that everything went wrong.

Elfyn Evans looks gloomy

It's undoubtedly a detail, but Elfyn Evans started to lose his footing the moment his Yaris Rally1 turned...grey. Starting in Portugal, the TGR decided that its cars would change livery in order to be less exposed to the heat. The Portuguese round was the first of a series of 7 consecutive gravel rounds and so far the owner of the #33 car has rather missed this sequence. In four races, he has never done better than 4^eForced to open the road and make the track during the first stages, his weekends were almost decided at the end of the first day.

Evans was never able to limit the damage from the sweep and even though he tried to be consistent to collect points while waiting for better days, he ended up being dispossessed of the first place in the championship by Ott Tänak in Estonia. For the former leader, this may be excellent news, as he is freed from this responsibility and the responsibility of having to clean the road. Finland is not usually the most problematic event in the starting order, but on gravel it is always better to start from the back.

“Rally Finland is a fantastic round and a real highlight of the season for me. I’m really looking forward to it, He explains. Nothing beats the feeling you get driving a Rally1 on the Finnish stages, especially when you're at one with the car. Our tests in Finland this week were therefore important to find the best settings and a great feeling. It's always a very enjoyable rally, so the most important thing is to enjoy the drive and, with a bit of luck, get a good result. »

To do this, however, Evans will have to make the most of his Hankook tires, something he hasn't been able to do often lately. If he avoids asking too many questions and finds himself immediately among the fastest, he will be a force to be reckoned with for victory.