WRC Chile 2023 | 5 talking points

1. Tänak’s masterclass in Chile

A spin on stage two set him back a little on Friday morning, but beyond that Tänak’s performance on Rally Chile was close to perfection. The 2019 WRC champion won seven of the 16 stages to complete the rally 42.1 seconds ahead of Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville. This was Tänak’s second of his career in Chile and also M-Sport’s second of 2023.

Tyre choice was a key factor. Tänak was the only frontrunner to choose hard-compound Pirellis all round on Saturday, across particularly abrasive gravel stages, and that made the difference. The Hyundais had chosen a mix of hard and soft tyres, while Toyota completely got it wrong and went for softs all round for points leader Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta – and that shaped the final result.

2. Heartbreak for Suninen

Teemu Suninen made a strong impression in Chile. In only his third start in a top-class Rally1 car the Finn proved Tänak’s closest challenger and ran second – until the penultimate stage of the event. Clipping a tree stump damaged the suspension on his Hyundai and that was that. The incident allowed Neuville to rise from third to runner-up, on a rally in which he had been delayed by a puncture on Saturday, plus some hybrid and electrical problems.

3. Another WRC title for Toyota

Suninen’s late drama also opened the door for Toyota Gazoo Racing to clinch its third consecutive manufacturers’ title with two rounds to spare. Rovanperä and Evans put their earlier tyre troubles far behind them to finish 1-2 on the Power Stage finale, their bonus points haul making sure of the team crown.

“I am really proud of the team and drivers and all the work we have done throughout the season,” said team chief Jari-Matti Latvala. “It is the earliest we have ever as Toyota Gazoo Racing got the title, so it shows we have done things right.”

The success is Toyota’s seventh in the WRC, leaving the Japanese car maker one behind Citroën. Lancia remains the marque with the most WRC titles, with 10.

4. Rovanperä on verge of WRC title

Starting first on the road as the championship points leader has hurt Rovanperä often and regularly in 2023, but never more than on the gravel stages of Rally Chile. He was on the backfoot from Friday morning and the tyre decision on Saturday didn’t help.

Evans beat him to what became third with Suninen’s late retirement, although the Finn’s Power Stage victory meant he finished on a high note. And his second consecutive title now looks more likely than ever. Rovanperä, who has just turned 23, now holds a 31-point lead over Evans – the only driver who can beat him to the crown – with 60 on offer at the final two rounds. Evans will need to outscore his team-mate next time out to take the title battle to the finale.

“We probably needed to close a bit more on Kalle this weekend than we did,” said the Welshman, “but at least the fight is still alive.”

5. Lappi and Loubet roll out

Katsuta finished a distant fifth in the third Toyota, ahead of WRC2 winner Oliver Solberg. As for the other Rally1 frontrunners, Chile proved too spicy. Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi was launched into barrel rolls on the very first stage on Friday and was out, while M-Sport’s Pierre-Louis Loubet suffered his own frightening roll just two stages later.

The WRC now heads for the Central European Rally, an event that crosses borders for Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, on Octover 26-29. The season concludes on Rally Japan in November.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images