Reported
Pajari reflects on Rally Chile struggles Despite title fight
Finnish WRC driver Sami Pajari is evaluating performance after Rally Chile, where he finished fifth, losing ground to rival Elfyn Evans.
Pajari Assessing Chile Performance Finnish rally driver Sami Pajari is currently evaluating his performance following the Rally Chile event, where he finished fifth overall, 1 minute 15.5 seconds behind the winner Oliver Solberg. This result marked a challenging weekend for the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 driver, who had previously secured three consecutive World Rally Championship wins in Estonia, Finland, and Paraguay. Autosport reported that the Finn is now looking to understand the specific reasons for his lack of pace during this crucial championship round, which saw him lose significant ground to title rival Elfyn Evans, who finished second.
Title Hopes and Rally Dynamics Prior to Rally Chile, Pajari was positioned as the closest challenger to Elfyn Evans in the championship standings, trailing by 20 points with only four rounds remaining. However, his fifth-place finish in Chile means this deficit will likely increase, as Autosport noted that Evans was set to gain points over him. Pajari’s difficulties began early in the rally, losing 17.8 seconds in Friday’s opening stage due to wet and muddy conditions. Despite hopes of recovering on Saturday, he was unable to match the front-running pace, attributing some of his struggles to an unfavorable road position on the dry gravel stages. These factors collectively prevented him from contending for a podium finish, which is vital for maintaining his championship aspirations against experienced competitors.
Unexplained Loss of Pace When questioned by Autosport about his performance, Pajari admitted he could not definitively pinpoint the cause of his struggles in Chile. He acknowledged that even multi-time world champions like Sébastien Ogier do not win every rally, suggesting that fluctuating performance is an inherent part of the sport. Pajari expressed a clear intent to conduct a deeper analysis with his team to identify any underlying issues. He also hinted at the possibility of a discussion regarding road position, questioning whether it fully accounted for the time lost, indicating that the team will review all data. The Finn remained hopeful for Sunday’s Power Stage, which offers bonus points, highlighting its potential importance for his overall championship standing, though he recognized the competitive nature of the top positions and the unpredictable conditions of the new stage layout.
Looking Ahead to the Championship The 2026 World Rally Championship season still has four rounds remaining, and while Pajari’s performance in Chile was not optimal, his previous three victories demonstrate his potential to challenge for the title. Currently, Elfyn Evans leads the championship with 201 points, with Sami Pajari in second at 171 points, followed by Takamoto Katsuta with 160 points. The upcoming rallies will be crucial for Pajari to close the gap and capitalize on any opportunities, as the points available in the final events can significantly alter the championship outcome. The team’s post-rally analysis will be critical in preparing for these decisive rounds, where every point will count in the closely contested title fight.
Status And Sources
This story is labelled Reported, which means a newsroom we cite carries this but the people involved have not confirmed it. The rules behind those labels are in the editorial policy, and the desk that published it is Aino Virtanen.
Written from the following reporting. Each link goes to the newsroom's own page, not to an aggregator:
- Autosportautosport.com
