Elfyn Evans believes that he is not in charge yet for the fight of drivers' championship despite his recent victory, but his so far performance reminds him the past.
The Welshman was among the championship contenders from 2020 to 2021 when he left M-Sport at the end of 2019 and joined Toyota, but his 2022 season was one of his worst seasons in World Rally Championship. 2022 was the year that WRC entered to hybrid era which means that the current Rally1 cars are very different to the WRC cars as they are more powerful and have a 5-speed gearbox while the suspension is less complex in comparison with the previous generation. In addition to there, the active central differential has been removed as well as the aerodynamics and the paddle shifters.
Elfyn Evans complained a lot about his Yaris behavior during last year, as he had said that he did not feel comfortable with it, and this can be proved by the fact that he finished fourth on the drivers' championship having three retirements and two restarts under the regulations of Rally2 after having some accidents. 2023 is a turnaround for him as he has secured a third place in Mexico and returned to the victories as he won in Croatia last weekend with his previous win being in Finland 1,5 years ago. Last but not least, it must be mentioned that he has 69 points after four events and has equalized Sebastien Ogier, but the last one is leading the championship as he has two victories so far this season.
"I wouldn’t say that I’m in charge, but at least it’s been much more reminiscent of what I was strong at in the past", Evans said.
"I was always scoring consistently, always being there or thereabouts.
"Of course there’s still work to do and I can’t say I’m satisfied with all the weekend, but nonetheless, it’s good points on the board".
Source: DirtFish.com
Photo Credits: Toyota
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