Elfyn Evans is considering shifting tactics in his bid to win the World Rally Championship, believing he needs to be winning more rallies this season.
Evans has lost the last two championship titles to Toyota team-mate Sébastien Ogier by eight and 23 points respectively.
In the COVID-shortened 2020 season when both he and Ogier were new to the team, Evans scored as many victories (two) as Ogier but scored fewer podiums. Last season Ogier had a clearer pace advantage, winning five events to Evans’ two.
Ogier is incredibly unlikely to win this year’s championship title as he’s only rallying part-time in 2022, but Evans is aware he has to remain on his A-game to be the one to succeed him as World Rally champion.
But he heads to this week’s Rally Sweden just eighth in the championship after going off the road on the second morning of last month’s Monte Carlo Rally. Evans had been third at the time and on pace to launch himself into the lead of the rally before his mistake.
If I go there to make sure I finish I'm not going to be challenging for the podium. You're definitely not going to win championships by doing that.Elfyn Evans on his approach to Rally Sweden
Instead, Evans finished just 21st overall but collected four bonus points from the powerstage.
Evans has no regrets about what happened as “it’s not like I went out with the intent to take crazy risks” on that stage; he simply got caught out.
“Ultimately we’re here because we want to win. That’s the bottom line, and I think to win championships you have to win rallies,” he told DirtFish.
“Maybe you could argue that’s what I didn’t do enough of last year, and of course it’s always a balance.
“Now you look like a bit of an idiot not taking third [in Monte] but at the same time championships are won by winning rallies, we know that’s where the rewards are.”
The misdemeanor on the opening round therefore won’t change Evans’ approach for Rally Sweden.
“It’s just doing the best you can like always,” he said. “If I go there to make sure I finish I’m not going to be challenging for the podium. You’re definitely not going to win championships by doing that.
“You have to forget about it [Monte] to a point and concentrate on the job at hand, that’s the target is just to focus on what’s ahead and not get too downbeat about what happened in Monte.”
Evans won Sweden the last time the WRC was there in 2020, but he’s quick to point out that means very little as that was in a “different place, probably very different conditions, different car, so there’s not a lot we can take in all honesty”.
Starting sixth on the road in Sweden has made Evans a favorite for victory this week – though he was frustrated not to have gained a larger road order advantage.
“After a non, well not a non-score on Monte but effectively a non-score, you’d hope we were starting 12th or something,” he said.
“Of course, don’t get me wrong, it’s better than opening the road whatever comes [weather wise] – but still it’s sixth, it’s not 12th.”
