THE MAIN PLAYERS ON THE BIGGEST STAGE

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING WORLD RALLY TEAM

Beast: Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Base: Jyvaskyla, Finland

Bosses: Tom Fowler (technical director), Jari-Matti Latvala (team principal)

While Hyundai faltered for much of 2021, Toyota very much prospered and secured the drivers’ and makes’ titles with comparative ease. Although the Yaris wasn’t necessarily the fastest car, it was reliable and having the same trio of drivers (Evans, Ogier and Rovanpera) for the full season created stability, plus the best driver for each occasion. Jari-Matti Latvala might have been more a spokesperson than an out-and-out team principal, but he was always calm and considered and helped to create a great team atmosphere. His influence will only get stronger and that’s no bad thing. No Sebastien Ogier for the full season is a dent to any team’s ambitions but Toyota isn’t short on driving talent, and there are ample resources if performances wane.