Sidelined for Chile, should Katsuta be worried about his WRC future?

The decision surprised many. This Wednesday, Toyota has decided to sideline its home driver, Takamoto Katsuta, for the next rally in Chile. (September 26-29) in order to place Sami Pajari at the wheel of the fourth Yaris entered. Surprising not in terms of results, but more in terms of symbolism. It is rare enough for a Japanese brand to publicly sanction one of its own, especially when it is a driver that it has trained and supported to the highest level.

Alas, patience is beginning to wear on the Toyota clan. After yet another failure in Greece during the Rally of the Acropolis, where Takamoto Katsuta's hopes quickly flew away on SS3 with a torn wheel, the Japanese firm decided to give two new chances to the nugget Sami Pajari, even if it meant leaving "Taka" aside for a weekend. A strong message since at the start of the season, the Japanese had been promoted - by default? - to full-time driver and eligible for Constructors' points for the entire championship, after the partial withdrawal of Kalle Rovanperä.

"It's been a tough season for Taka, but he has the full support of the team and everyone knows he has the pace, says Toyota Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala in the press release announcing Sami Pajari to replace Takamoto Katsuta in Chile. With this break, he will have the opportunity to recharge his batteries and prepare for the last two events which will be important – in particular Rally Japan, of course, where we hope he can once again fight for podium places.”

Too much pressure for Katsuta?

It should be remembered that Takamoto Katsuta's season is not exceptional, far from it: 80 points scored in the first ten rallies and only one podium in Kenya. On the evening of the Acropolis Rally, he found himself 7th in the general classification behind... the freelancer Kalle Rovanperä, who has competed in five fewer rallies. Ouch.

The year 2024 was supposed to mark a new stage in his career, but for the moment it has been reduced to marking time, or even a step backwards following the presence of Sami Pajari in his place in Chile. Has he reached the limit of his talent? Has he been too unlucky? For Jari-Matti Latvala, it was above all the pressure of the result in the Constructors' Championship that disturbed not only Takamoto Katsuta, but also Elfyn Evans.

"It didn't work with Takamoto (Katsuta) and Elfyn (Evans). We kept asking them to think about points and the championship and it didn't work. A driver loses the natural way of driving when he has to constantly think about that goal.", he explained to us after the Acropolis Rally, Sunday evening, after conceding that the two championships were "over" against Hyundai.

© Nikos Katikis / DPPI

Obviously, this "sanction" - if we can call it that - of sidelining Takamoto Katsuta to place Sami Pajari in the fourth Yaris in Chile raises questions. The 31-year-old driver, who has still not won a rally in WRC, should he worry about his future?

There is little chance because, in the pure philosophy of Japanese manufacturers to place national drivers within their teams, Toyota should not do without Takamoto Katsuta, especially after having invested in him for a long time. Especially since he benefits from a good popularity rating in Japan: a relegation to Rally2 or worse, a thank you would certainly not be appreciated in the Land of the Rising Sun…

Especially since Jari-Matti Latvala stated last Sunday that Toyota's efforts will be increased in 2025 to fight on equal terms with Hyundai and give itself the best possible chance of winning the title. "What I learned this year is that for 2025 we need to field three drivers who compete in all the rounds of the calendar. Having only two (Evans and Katsuta. Ed.) does not work to win the title. Then we can have a 4th car for someone who would not compete the full year."

Five drivers for three seats

With three full-time drivers and a possible fourth car, Takamoto Katsuta's status could well change within Toyota Gazoo Racing, especially with Sami Pajari knocking on the door of Rally1 and that the Japanese team absolutely does not want to lose. With the expected return of Kalle Rovanperä for the full season next year, several hypotheses are possible.

The first, that of a certain "status quo" compared to 2024: in addition to Kalle Rovanperä, Toyota would continue to trust Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta to complete all the rallies of the year and score points in the championship, while the 4th car would be shared between Sébastien Ogier and Sami Pajari.

The second, more daring, would be a Sami Pajari starting line-up on all 14 rallies on the calendar in the third car full-time. This would mean that Sébastien Ogier and Takamoto Katsuta would share a 4th car and that these three drivers would rotate, depending on the rallies, to be eligible for Manufacturers' points. Takamoto Katsuta, for example, could then be eligible on terrains he likes, such as Kenya or Japan.

The third, finally, would go against the recent statements of Jari-Matti Latvala who hopes to have three full-time drivers in 2025: this would consist, as in 2022, of sharing the third car between Sébastien Ogier and Sami Pajari depending on the rallies, while the 4th car would be reserved for Takamoto Katsuta with a sort of "second team", which would mean that the Japanese would therefore no longer be eligible for Manufacturers' points for TGR.

Five drivers for three (or even four?) cars, two of which are already reserved for Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans: this is the puzzle that Toyota must face in the coming weeks. There is no doubt that the performances of Sami Pajari in Chile, and the direct confrontation between the Finn and Takamoto Katsuta at the Central Europe Rally, will be decisive for Jari-Matti Latvala and his team in order to assess which line-up will be the most effective – or failing that, the most promising – for 2025.

ALSO READ > Sami Pajari lined up in Chile and Central Europe on the Toyota Yaris Rally1