Onto the final day then of this very tricky rally and after all the tyre drama on Friday, Saturday was a quieter day in terms of incidents. The predicted rain never arrived either on the second day of competition. With five stages to run and a total of 66-kilometres to go, what would we see happen?

First up was SS18 Encarnación 1 and Takamoto set the early pace in this one which was beaten by Seb and then Thierry. However, when the leaders came through, they were not able to beat the times set by the first three cars to complete. Elfyn lost third position to Adrien who set the  fifth fastest time.

Into SS19 Artigas 1 and Oliver was fastest by 1.3 seconds from Adrien whilst Seb was third. The gap between Adrien and Elfyn widened to 3.1 seconds as well. Meanwhile Jon passed WRC2 leader Diego for seventh overall as well in this one.

Next came SS20 Artigas Oeste which was a shortened stage from the original length and Oliver set the pace by one and a half seconds from his teammate Seb, whilst Adrien was third a further half a second back. For the championship leaders, they would see the gap grow a few seconds to Adrien and Alex. Unfortunately, we lost Jon and Shane after this stage after their Puma slid wide and after contact with a bank the rear left suspension was really badly broken.

SS21 Artigas 2 was red flagged and then cancelled after a really big crash for Takamoto and Aaron which meant the Yaris was blocking the road. Thierry and Martijn were already in the stage and would stop at the location of the incident. The remaining crews passed through the stage at normal road speed, whilst Takamoto and Aaron were taken to hospital for a check over.

It was back then to SS22 Encarnación 2, the powerstage and Oliver would set the pace from Seb, whilst Adrien, Elfyn and Thierry completed the top five positions in this stage. Meanwhile, Sami had taken victory from Hayden and Adrien, the Finnish crew becoming the first to win their first three events in a row.

Let’s hear from the drivers and take a look at the final finishing positions.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sami Pajari

“I’m really happy and it’s a very proud moment; to realise that we’ve done something that nobody ever has before is really special. A big thank you to the team once again. It was not an easy rally for the drivers or the team, so building such a reliable car is key to this success. This was a very different rally to Estonia and Finland; it was not about being flat-out all the time. We had to manage many different things and I tried to be clever with my driving. It was a really demanding rally but that just makes it even sweeter to be able to win. We’re also well in the fight for the championship. It’s still quite a few points to catch but I will just keep doing the best job that I can.”

Elfyn Evans

“This weekend started pretty well on Friday until we had the issue with the tyre in the afternoon, and after that we didn’t really settle into a good enough rhythm and were missing some pace to hold off Adrien who was really strong. We were maybe a bit too conservative after all the drama of Friday when conditions were perhaps more extreme, but it’s not easy to find the right balance between risk and reward. I can’t be completely happy with the weekend, but others fared worse, and we still come away with some decent points.”

Oliver Solberg

“This morning we lost a bit of time on the first stage which was getting more muddy with each car, but after that we won every stage we drove so we can be happy with that. A big thanks to the team; the mechanics have done an amazing job to keep the car running all weekend on such an incredibly rough event. I feel we were a bit unlucky with some small details on Friday which cost us time, but it’s still been a great weekend feeling so much passion and support from the fans who have really put a smile on my face.”

Sébastien Ogier

“We had a good battle with Oliver today trying to recover as many points as we could from a tough weekend. I was happy with how our day was going up until the Power Stage, where we had a half-spin in a muddy section where I think a lot of people were struggling. Still, we could take nine points from the day which isn’t bad, even if it’s not making a big difference for us in the championship anymore. We didn’t get the result we wanted here but we still had fun behind the wheel and enjoyed our time with the fans.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“The impact in this accident was quite big and that Aaron and I are both OK shows how well the cars are built to keep us safe. Thank you to the team and the FIA for the regulations and thank you also to everyone who helped us afterwards and supported us. I’m not sure exactly what happened but I lost the rear of the car, I tried to correct it and we hit a small bank on the inside that lifted the car onto two wheels. I still tried to save it but we rolled. It was my mistake and I’m sorry for the team and grateful for their ongoing support. This weekend didn’t go well but highs and lows are part of the game and I just need to come back stronger.”

Yuki Yamamoto

“This rally started difficult for me with punctures in the first two stages, which made it hard to find a rhythm. In the afternoon, the feeling and the split times were better but then we had to stop with an issue. Saturday also started pretty difficult with quite a few things happening, but in the afternoon things turned around for the better. I could drive with more of a normal feeling and everything was going smoothly. The final day was really good with no mistakes and good stage times, and it will be good to take that feeling forward to Chile.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Hayden Paddon

“This feels like a win after the journey we have been on. While circumstances may have helped us achieve a podium in Croatia, it feels like we can really celebrate this one. People had problems this weekend, but we also had issues, and since day one we’ve been managing the gap. There is certainly more speed in there, but we had a job to do this weekend, and we’ve done it. I knew it would be tough, and I surprised myself with how we adjusted to it. We knew this was an important rally for the team, which is why we did so much preparation to make the best of this opportunity.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“I’m very proud of what we have achieved this weekend. In particular, seeing that Elfyn was 55 seconds ahead and saying, ‘I’m going to catch him’, I think shows a strong mentality, and it paid off. I think we deserved more than the podium this weekend. In terms of performance, I think we deserved the win, but fundamentally we got a puncture and Sami didn’t. That’s rallying, and ultimately I am very pleased. We worked a lot on the car, and this has been a big step forward in the setup of the car, and it seems to be working well. It’s very encouraging for these final events.”

Thierry Neuville

“I’m obviously very disappointed with how this rally started for us. Things just aren’t going our way at the moment, and we need to cope with that, but we continued fighting and never gave up. We progressively built speed on Saturday to enable us to be fast today; we had good pace, but just not enough to secure more bonus points from the weekend. The main thing is we have brought the car home, and it’s ready for Chile. We learned a lot driving with a softer car, which could help us with the remaining events this season.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Josh McErlean

“So, that’s Paraguay finished. Sixth overall, equal to our best WRC result. All in all, it’s been a positive weekend. Obviously, it was very tricky with the conditions and everything that Paraguay threw at us. But Friday was strong. Up until the puncture, we were essentially fighting for the podium.

“Saturday was a bit more tricky with the setup and, obviously, the weather we were expecting. But we had some issues on Sunday, managed to fix them and get to the finish. So, all in all, a positive weekend and hopefully we can keep improving our pace going into Chile.”

Jon Armstrong

“So, Rally Paraguay. We had quite a good start on Friday with some good times, but then we got a puncture that we drove on, which ended up damaging the brakes. Then we spun and damaged the car. Friday ended up losing us a lot of time with the repairs we needed to do in service. Then Saturday was a strong day, with some good stage times, and we clawed our way back up to seventh on Sunday.

“Then, three stages from the end, we came to a section that changed surface slightly. We didn’t have quite as much grip as we were expecting, so we went a bit wide, touched a bank and broke the rear suspension.

“So, yeah, really frustrating not to get a result. It’s a bit tricky at the moment because there have been a few results that we’ve missed out on, but we’re going to try and do our best to finish out the year strong now, with Chile coming up next.”

Romet Jürgenson

“It was quite an up-and-down weekend again. Friday didn’t start very well. We had some stuff loose in the cockpit on stage one, which distracted me a bit, and then we got a puncture. We had some small issues in the first loop, but after that we got going. The second loop was fine, and we climbed up to fourth.

“Unfortunately, on Saturday, while pushing quite hard, the rear snapped in a fast corner, and we went off. The team managed to fix the car, and on Sunday we showed some good pace again. But that’s about it. I think we need to almost forget it and go to Chile.”

Final Overall Classification – Rally del Paraguay

Super Sunday Classification – Rally del Paraguay

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 11

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 11

Summary

What an amazing result then for Sami and Marko who become the first crew to take their first three victories in a row. No other crew have ever done this before, which is an amazing statistic really. They were the only crew this weekend not to suffer a tyre failure, and perhaps this was down to the fact they suffered a cooling issue on the first few stages on Friday, and therefore backed off from the ultimate pace being set by other crews.

Moving onto Hayden and John, they were surprised by their performance to secure second place. They had a brilliant drive though, even leading at one point before suffering a tyre failure. This result though showed how good they are at maximising their talent to deliver a superb result. I hope we see them in the car again this year.

Finally, what a drive from Adrien and Alex who won nine stages in the end throughout the weekend which took them past Elfyn and Scott on Sunday morning and secured another third place. The pace showed they could have won their first rally as well, were it not for tyre failures. Surely their first win cannot be far away.

Next up then will see the team and crews travel to Chile for round twelve of this year’s championship which takes place over the weekend of the tenth to thirteenth of September.

Day two of this special rally dawned following a heavy storm which came through the service park and actually caused a lot of damage on the site. Three crews returned to the action following their early exit on Friday, with Takamoto, Seb and Thierry would restart with the Japanese driver opening the road followed by his world champion teammate and then Thierry.

Once the crews got out to the stages there was a realisation that the rain had not arrived as expected. All the teams had prepared their cars with the prospect of rain, giving the crews an interesting challenge as to how tackle dry roads with a wet set-up on the cars.

First up then was SS9 Bella Vista 1 and a good stage length of 21.15-kilometres to face. It was a good start for Elfyn who was fastest from Adrien and Sami. Oliver was sixth fastest and moved up one position to seventh overall. The stage was a clean one as all of the crews made it through with no drama, plus the predicted rain whilst it had fallen very heavily at the service park, there was no rain on the stage at all.

Next up came SS10 Bella Vista Sur 1 and remained a dry stage for all the crews. Adrien set the pace from Seb and Sami. Interestingly, Elfyn who was still in third overall behind Hayden and Sami was almost ten seconds slower than Adrien and saw the gap between them come down to 46 seconds.

Adrien was fastest again in SS11 Hohenau 1 from Sami and Elfyn, with the Welshman losing another almost six seconds to the charging Frenchman. Meanwhile, the gap between Sami, Hayden and Elfyn was growing. Oliver who was recovering back up the leaderboard passed the WRC2 leader Diego Dominguez for sixth overall. There was a moment for the rally leader as his car slid wide on the exit of a left-hand corner onto two wheels and the result was that although the Finnish crew continued in the stage, there was some damage to the rear wing of the Yaris.

The final stage before the lunchtime service, SS12 Trinidad 1 and Seb was fastest from Adrien and Jon in this stage. Elfyn lost a further eight seconds in the stage to Adrien, the gap between them now thirty-one seconds.

Into the afternoon stages then with SS13 Bella Vista 2 and the rain was still staying away, with in fact the temperatures were increasing with no clouds of rain in the area of the stages. Adrien was fastest from Elfyn by just one second, whilst Seb was third.

Adrien continued his stage winning pace in SS14 Bella Vista Sur 2 going two seconds faster than Seb, whilst Sami was third. Elfyn was fifth fastest and almost eight seconds slower than Adrien meaning that the gap now was just over twenty seconds in their fight over third position overall.

Onto SS15 Hohenau 2 and Adrien was again fastest from Oliver and Seb. Elfyn set the same time as Seb, but this was seven seconds slower than the Hyundai driver and now the gap between them was just sixteen seconds. This was getting really close!

Just two stages remained then, the first of which was SS16 Trinidad 2 and Seb set the pace from Oliver and Thierry. Adrien did have an overshoot on a left-hand corner but was still faster than Elfyn by three seconds and brought the overall gap to the Welshman down to just thirteen seconds.

The final stage of the day then a short 3.1-kilometre blast called SS17 Encarnación Costanera and Takamoto had the best of the conditions which were incredibly muddy. This was the only stage which had heavy rain on it overnight from Friday to Saturday. The Japanese driver was fastest from Thierry and Seb. There was a change in positions between Oliver and Josh as the Swede passed the M-Sport driver for fifth place. Nearer to the front, Adrien took a huge amount time from Elfyn and brought the gap down to just 3.3 seconds.

Let’s hear from the drivers and take a look at the top ten.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sami Pajari

“We can be happy with today. The conditions were still quite tricky, even if they were a lot more straightforward than the heavy rain we were expecting. Still, we had some moments, losing part of the rear wing when we ran slightly wide in one corner, which affected the handling in the high-speed sections, but it was not a big drama. Otherwise, the car was quick and reliable, and we were able to extend our lead over the day. Like in Estonia and Finland, I’m not getting too excited yet because a lot can still happen, and the weather could be hard to predict again.”

Elfyn Evans

“Our day started pretty well with the fastest time in the first stage. Then in the second stage there were already some huge rocks around, so I played it safe, and it was a similar story in the mud later in the loop. This afternoon we took some hard tyres and it’s difficult to know if that was the correct decision or not, but we were concerned about the wear after yesterday. Adrien has been charging hard and had a strong day, and it was a surprise to lose so much time in the super special, but we can expect more difficult conditions tomorrow and just need to keep doing the best we can.”

Oliver Solberg

“We were hoping to have some rain today to make things exciting for us. Unfortunately, it didn’t come but it still hasn’t been a bad day. The main goal was just to stay clean and try to catch McErlean and we were able to do that, and it’s good to get back up to fifth. It was tricky with the tyres as we didn’t have as many good spares as others to rotate around, but we managed OK. Tomorrow maybe the rain will come, and we’ll try our best whatever happens.”

Sébastien Ogier

“Today wasn’t the easiest one with nothing to really fight for, but we just focused on trying to enjoy the driving with this car as much as we could, and I think we had a decent rhythm. The rain didn’t come as expected but there was some dampness in the last stage of the loop, and we managed to take a stage win there, and another one in the afternoon. Tomorrow maybe some rain is still coming, and let’s see what we can do to try to grab some points.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“Everybody was expecting that it would be quite wet today, but the rain never really came. At least with the dry conditions I could just focus on recovering after what happened yesterday. A big thank you to the team for fixing the car so that I could drive again, gain experience on these stages and try to get back the feeling ahead of tomorrow, when I want to try to take some points.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Hayden Paddon

“It’s been a clean, trouble-free day, which is exactly what we wanted. We’re missing a little bit of pace, but we haven’t been in the car for very long, so we’re happy we’ve brought it home in more or less one piece. The super special stage was probably the trickiest for everyone, but all in all it has been a solid day for us. Let’s see what tomorrow brings, as it could be a whole different kettle of fish, but in the meantime it’s mission accomplished.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“The level of this sport is incredibly high, so to be able to set the times we were doing today, I’m incredibly proud. It’s been a good push. We had to manage the tyres, and I think we did a good job. I’m very pleased with the effort from the whole Hyundai Motorsport team. It’s been a good day, and there is still a long one ahead tomorrow, but to be 3.3 seconds off the podium after starting the day 55 seconds behind is quite something.”

Thierry Neuville

“It was a long day out there. We didn’t get the conditions we expected this morning when we saw what had happened in the service park overnight – the rain just missed the stages, and it was pretty dry, to be honest. With no real objective other than experimenting with the set-up, we started on a soft set-up and tried to make it even softer to see how the car performed, while also adapting my driving style to suit it. I found it interesting. I’m not quite where I want to be yet and am generally missing a bit of speed in some of the stages, and there was some cleaning as well, but we were progressively improving.”

Sunday

The final day of action will see the crews face 66.35-kilometres over five stages, including one stage only run once. Will the rain arrive at all?

The action got underway on Thursday morning with shakedown and Takamoto set the pace from Thierry and Adrien, whilst Hayden and Elfyn were fourth and fifth.  The action then for real started on Friday morning with the first of eight stages and what would we see on this first full day of stages?

First up then was SS1 Cambyreta 1 a 24.65-kilometre stage and there was drama from the very start as Takamoto and Aaron rolled out very early in the stage after the rear of their Yaris stepped out. Seb and Vincent also had drama after getting a puncture. The road was changing after the early runners and some rocks were being brought out. Oliver and Elliott were fastest from Adrien and Alex, whilst Hayden and John were third. Less than five seconds covered the top three. Elfyn and Scott were seventh after opening the road and only ten seconds from the lead. Perhaps opening the road wasn’t such a bad place to be.

Into SS2 Nueva Alborada 1 a shorter 15.66-kilometre test and once again Oliver was fastest from Josh and Hayden this time. It was a good stage for the M-Sport squad as Jon was also showing good pace with the fourth fastest time and matching Hayden’s pace. The Kiwi’s pace took him and his co-driver John, past Adrien and Alex and into second overall. The M-Sport Irish twins were also on the move with Josh and Jon both moving into fourth and fifth respectively. There was drama again for Seb and Vincent who stopped again to change a wheel on the front left corner following another puncture which was caused when the car struck a bank on the exit of a right-hand corner. We also lost Thierry from the action following the end of stage one with the damage to his Hyundai.

The stages kept coming with SS3 Yerbateras 1 next. This was a proper test of 34.08-kilometres, the longest stage of the weekend. It was a tricky stage for Jon who suffered a puncture on his Puma which then led to damage on the front right-hand side brakes and included the whole calliper falling of the car. The car spun just a few metres down the road and damaged both bumpers and the bonnet, but they did at least make it to the end of the stage then they completed some repairs which meant that they could finish the morning stages and return to service. Hayden won the stage from Elfyn and Josh and this gave us a new top three, with the Kiwi’s leading the way from Josh and Elfyn. We did lose Seb from the action as his front suspension gave way in the stage. Also, to suffer tyre problems were Adrien, Sami, Oliver, Josh and Jon. Oliver also had a spin in the stage and his engine stalled which meant he needed to have a push start from some fans to get going again.

The short SS4 Autodromo 1 stage of 2.5 kilometres followed before service and Adrien was fastest from Oliver and Sami, whilst Hayden continued to hold the lead from Josh and Elfyn. The only change in position in the top ten was that Adrien passed Jon for sixth place.

After the lunchtime service came SS5 Cambyreta 2 and Adrien was fastest from Elfyn and Sami. Hayden continued to hold the lead from Elfyn now who had passed Josh for second place. Adrien was also gaining positions and passed Diego for fifth overall. There were no punctures incredibly for the crews in this stage, which was amazing really.

It was all change following the end of SS6 Nueva Alborada 2. Adrien set the pace from Sami and Elfyn. Elfyn moved into the lead from Hayden after the Kiwi suffered a puncture on the front right of his Hyundai. Also moving up was Sami who passed Josh for third place.

The final long stage of the day, SS7 Yerbateras 2 saw some more drama, as Sami set the pace from Oliver and Hayden. Elfyn’s lead was short lived as he suffered a tyre delamination. Scott and him, decided to continue and not stop, which worked well as they only lost just over a minute meaning they finished the stage still holding a podium position and only 56 seconds from the new leader Sami, whilst Hayden was now second even though he also had a tyre failure nearer to the end of the stage.

The final stage then, SS8 Autodromo 2 and Adrien was fastest from Hayden and Oliver, whilst Sami continued to lead the rally from Hayden and Elfyn.

Let’s hear from the drivers and take a look at the top ten.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sami Pajari

“It’s been a crazy day with many stories to tell for us and for everybody else. Our day didn’t start great as we got a water leak on the first stage, but thankfully we could make a fix to get through the morning and get back to service. After that, the car was working to its full potential and we could enjoy it as much as possible, but today was still more about survival than we expected. It’s nice to be in the lead but I think on this rally it’s not meaning so much; with the weather forecast, the most demanding days might still be to come.”

Elfyn Evans

“It’s been a dramatic day for almost everybody, with very few who haven’t had their fair share of trouble already. We’ve been focused on trying to be clean and having a good rhythm, and everything’s been working fine in the car. It has been challenging for the tyres and we had to manage some issues through both long stages and unfortunately lost quite a bit of time. Others have fared even worse than us so the overall position isn’t bad, and the rain might bring a very different set of challenges for tomorrow.”

Oliver Solberg

“Today was definitely trickier than expected. I had a good feeling this morning and the first two stages were nice. Then we were a bit unfortunate; going into a junction I lost the engine and needed help from the fans to restart, and then we got a slow puncture and stopped to change it. It’s a pity so much time was lost but that’s rallying. After that we just tried to be clean, and nothing is over; there could be crazy weather over the weekend so anything can still happen.”

Sébastien Ogier

“Unfortunately, this rally quickly turned out to be very challenging for us. In the first stage we got a puncture on a landing from a jump, and we also had a bit of an electronic issue going into the next stage. I maybe lost concentration a bit, came a bit too fast over a crest and hit the bank on the outside; it was my mistake, and we damaged the front-left suspension. We tried to fix it and continue, but eventually we had to stop for the day.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“At the beginning of the first stage there was a very high-speed approach down into the forest and I probably just came too fast into this corner; it was my mistake. I lost the rear of the car and wasn’t able to recover it and we rolled. Initially we tried to continue but we stopped to prevent any further damage. I’m really sorry for the team and it’s a tough moment but we will try to regroup.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Hayden Paddon

“Today has almost been Safari-spec. It’s been difficult for everybody; managing the tyres has been the biggest thing today, and it’s been very tough. I think we’ve managed it as best as we could – obviously we had a couple of punctures, but luckily we didn’t have to stop on stage to change them and were able to manage them in the stage to avoid more damage. Tomorrow will be a different challenge – there may be rain, and whether it’s just one or 100mm, it’s going to be slippery. We will have to reset tomorrow and have a different mindset for tomorrow, as there is still a long way to go in this rally.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“All in all, I am happy with my day, particularly with my pace and how I managed the tyres – there is still some work to do as we have delaminations; it is different to when you have a puncture from a rock, so it’s a shame. Otherwise, I was enjoying the stages – although I am happy I was not in a casino today, as I would have lost everything. If the rain comes tomorrow, I think it’s going to be a really difficult day.”

Thierry Neuville

“This was the worst possible start for a rally where everything was set up for a good weekend. For the first few kilometres we had a good feeling in the car, but then we came fast over a blind crest, on the landing we went over a stone and immediately got a puncture and lost the brake line. We decided to carry on, and picked up further damage to the suspension, and had to retire the car.”

Classification after Day One

Saturday

The second day of action in Paraguay will see the crews tackle 135.74-kilometres over nine stages. The morning loop has four stages and then the same four are run in the afternoon before an extra stage finishes the day. There is rain predicted for the whole day as well, which will make things very interesting.

Time then for the eleventh round of this years World Rally Championship as the teams head to the first of two rounds on the South American continent. At the last round, Elfyn and Scott increased their championship lead after finishing in third place in Finland. Of course, Sami and Marko are the latest crew to be second in the championship after their first championship victory in their home event.

The crews will have a big challenge in this weekend’s rally which is the second time that Paraguay will be running a championship round. This year’s edition has 357.64 kilometres over twenty-two stages. Comparing to last year, this means that there are three more stages this year and this has increased the number of competitive kilometres by over twenty.

Let’s take a look at the stages and hear from the drivers.

Friday is the longest day with 153.78 kilometres over eight stages, then Saturday is a shorter day with 135.71 kilometres over nine stages, whilst Sunday has 68.12 kilometres over five stages.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“Our first time competing in Paraguay last year proved a lot more challenging than everyone had anticipated. On paper the stages looked quite straightforward with many long straights and junctions, but the rally was made far more difficult by the polished clay surface and the changing grip levels. Then, when it rained on the final morning, there was almost no grip available at all. In our position running first on the road on these gravel rallies, some rain can help to level the playing field, but it can also turn quickly into a lottery when the grip is so low. Like always, we’ll just have to do our best in whatever conditions we face when the rally begins.”

Sami Pajari

“Since Rally Finland it’s been nice to have some time to really enjoy and appreciate what we’ve achieved recently before we refocus on the coming rallies in South America. It was great to go to Paraguay for the first-time last year and see the excitement of all the fans there. It’s quite a nice rally to drive with really fast roads and some big jumps, which I always enjoy. There are also some really twisty sections and if it rains, the surface can become crazy slippery. Our recent results don’t change our approach for this event; we just have to continue trying to do the best job possible and hopefully we can keep achieving good results.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“I have very good memories from Paraguay and can’t wait to go back. There were so many fans supporting us and it was a really impressive event. The roads themselves are nice and enjoyable, but we discovered last year that the surface is very unique; very compacted and very polished, and there was very little grip when it rained. With that knowledge from last year, it can be easier to go back, but we can’t know exactly how the conditions will be this time. Anyway, we will try to enjoy it once more and hopefully it can be a nice rally for us.”

Oliver Solberg

“Paraguay put on an amazing event last year and it was special to experience the atmosphere there and the passion of the people. The roads were also rather unique, with narrow sections and wide sections and jumps and dips, and the surface was quite slippery at times. It was a lot of fun, even if it was pretty difficult. In the faster places it felt like we were on the limit with the Rally2 car; with the Rally1 car and the extra downforce we will be able to carry more speed, but I’ll need to make that adjustment like on almost every rally this year. After two podiums in the last two rallies, I hope we can keep this run going.”

Sébastien Ogier

“Rally Finland didn’t turn out the way we hoped after what had been a very good rally until the point that it ended for us, but the most important thing is that Julien and I were both OK. Now we’ve had some time to rest and recover and I’m ready to compete in Paraguay together with Vincent. Even if our championship hopes are more or less over, we still want to aim for the top step in each of the remaining rallies this year, and help the team secure the manufacturers’ title. We experienced a great first rally in Paraguay last year, with an amazing atmosphere as well as challenging stages and conditions, and we will try our best to repeat our victory there.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“I’m really looking forward to Paraguay. After two fast rallies, we are back to more typical gravel stages, with a more dynamic and technical profile, which I generally prefer. I really enjoyed the stages last year and the atmosphere was great, so I can’t wait to be back. We learned a lot from the event last year, particularly with some of the technical choices we made, so this year we have made some different choices with the set-up. The roads are also quite cambered, and the weather can play an important role – when it rained last year, it was super slippery. Finland didn’t go as we wanted, although we had the speed and were back to a good feeling on Sunday. For me, I’m only chasing victories and the best possible results, so the target in Paraguay is as high as it can be.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“Last year we had a really strong rally in Paraguay. We were leading on Friday and fighting at the front for most of the weekend, so it’s an event where we know we can be competitive. The stages are quite unique, with the grip changing a lot and some very fast sections, so you need to have confidence in the car and be able to adapt quickly. We learned a lot there last year, and after our recent performances on fast gravel I’m looking forward to going back. The target is clear: we want to fight at the front again and this time make sure we come away with the result.”

Hayden Paddon

“I’m very excited to finally be on gravel with the car, and to be doing it in South America makes it even more special. It feels like a full-circle moment. Our mileage on gravel is limited to just two short tests, but from the very first kilometre I felt at home in the car and on the surface. I know the car reasonably well now from our tarmac events, and gravel is my comfort zone, so it’s a matter of combining the two and getting up to speed as quickly as possible. We’ve spent a lot of time studying videos and data to prepare, and the fact that 40% of the route is new this year helps us a little. The target is different to our tarmac events – this time we want to drive flat out, give it everything we have and deliver the strongest result possible for the team.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Josh McErlean

“Heading back to Paraguay gives us a good opportunity to build on everything we learned there last year. Having that experience and a better understanding of the stages and conditions should put us in a stronger position from the start. “Finland was a positive weekend for us, and we want to carry that momentum into South America. We’re into the final part of the season now, so the focus is on continuing our progress and finishing the year strongly.”

Jon Armstrong

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of rallying in a new continent once again. Having never been to South America, it will be amazing to sample the roads for the first time. We’re looking to take a more steady approach with the upcoming events, whilst using our road position to our advantage. It’s nice to be coming back to WRC off the back of a victory at the Grampian Rally – which is a real confidence boost – and we’ll continue to work on our progress as we return to the Puma Rally1 for the remainder of the year.”

Rally2 competitors

Yuki Yamamoto (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)

“These next two rallies will be a completely new adventure for me and I’m firstly looking forward to visiting South America for the first time. Last year when I was watching Paraguay from home, it looked quite unique with a massive atmosphere and challenging stages. I’ve been trying to prepare as best I can by watching onboards from last year; the roads look fast but if it’s wet the conditions can be tricky with very slippery surfaces. It will be a big challenge but after the last few rallies I’m hoping that we can change the momentum towards a nice result.”

Romet Jürgenson (M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2)

“Paraguay is going to be something new for me again, and it’ll be the first time ever going to South America as well, so there is a lot to discover. But from what I remember watching from home last year, it looked like a very nice rally with a great atmosphere, and I think as an overall experience it’s going to be something very unique.

“We have had a bit of time to prepare and understand what is needed for this kind of event, and I think it’s important to get the knowledge from this rally to allow us to hopefully compete at the top level of the sport someday.”

Summary

This will be an important round for Elfyn and Scott in their bid to become the 2026 World Rally Champions. With a thirty-point lead over their teammates Sami and Marko, if they can increase the gap to the Finns it will put them in a very good position to join Colin and Derek and Richard and Robert as champions.

The reigning champions, Seb and Vincent are fifth in the standings and sixty-two points behind, making it a tricky challenge for the French crew to retain the title. We should never write off them though and it’s very likely that Elfyn and Scott certainly won’t have.

In terms of road position, it’s fair to state that Oliver, Seb, Adrien and Thierry will likely have the best road position on Friday’s stages should the conditions remain dry. However, if there is any rain on the stages, then this will change things and as we have seen in Kenya this can have a big effect on the times which the crews can set.

It will also be very interesting to see how Hayden and John get on as well. The 2016 Rally Argentina winners have always gone well on gravel rallies. I hope that they have a very good event, let’s see how they get on.

Looking at M-Sport Josh and Eoin will be competing at this event for the second time and will bring what they learnt last year. For their teammates, Jon and Shane, they will look to complete the stages and take learnings into the future.

The action starts with shakedown on Thursday morning where the crews will take turns to run through the stage in championship order, giving them and the teams the opportunity to prepare their cars for the three days of stages.