Sébastien Ogier secured his sixth win of the season in Japan, taking the championship race to the final leg. The French driver finished 11.6 seconds ahead of his teammate Elfyn Evans, while Toyota completely dominated the podium.
Rain on Sunday changed everything.
Ogier won all five of the final stages, including the Power Stage. He finished just 0.096 seconds ahead of Evans in the Power Stage, securing a maximum of 10 bonus points. Evans, meanwhile, managed to hold onto second place despite the challenging conditions. “I was going to say today was fun, but that wouldn’t be quite right,” said Evans. “Overall, it was great to compete with Seb.”
The championship race is now down to 3 points.
Ogier's victory reduced Evans' 13-point lead in the championship race to just 3 points. Third-placed Kalle Rovanperä is now 24 points behind, effectively ending his title challenge. The final leg of the season, the Saudi Arabia Rally, will take place from November 25-29.