Toyota team principal voices his opinion on the state of play in the WRC title fight with five rounds to go
Photography by Toyota
Words by David Evans, DirtFish Head of Media
Four drivers, five rallies and just 13 points between them. This year’s World Rally Championship is shaping up to be an absolute cracker. Which is probably why Jari-Matti Latvala is smiling.
Every now and then Toyota’s team principal reverts to being the same as you and me: a pure, undiluted rally fan. Reverts? That’s perhaps unfair on the Finn. We know he’s all about the sport. But now more than ever, he’s excited (not least because three of the four drivers in with a clear title shot).
Amid the general fever and fervour, Latvala’s smile narrows slightly. Yes, it’s great entertainment, but there’s business to be done as well.
“I said to DirtFish earlier this year that we would see after Finland how the fight was coming for the title,” he said. “And now we can see, the fight is getting quite interesting.”
As a recap, Elfyn Evans leads the title race, three points up on fellow Yaris driver Kalle Rovanperä, with another Toyota star Sébastien Ogier and Hyundai’s Ott Tänak joint third, 13 points down on the Welshman.
“The guys are pushing really hard now,” said Latvala. “The game is really tight now and when we’re going to Paraguay for a new rally, new stages – this is when I think we can be seeing some drama coming up.
“I don’t know so much about Paraguay, I didn’t watch so many of the videos, but I think we can expect some fast roads – maybe quite like Argentina. Like I said, the fight is really on and when you start to run towards the end of the year, you need the points – but in a fight this close you need the win.
“It’s going to be very interesting. Of course, it’s nice to have the three Toyota drivers there – but we also have to be careful with [Ott] Tänak, he’s motivated and can be dangerous. Maybe it can be a bit easier for him now he’s not opening the road anymore like he was in Finland.
“One thing is sure, it’s going to be very exciting for the rest of the season.”
Words:David Evans
Tags: Jari-Matti Latvala, Rally Finland 2025, WRC 2025
Publish Date August 19, 2025 DirtFish
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