With the new season fast approaching us let’s have a sneak preview of what to expect for the WRC 2023 calendar!
A Revived M-Sport
Is this the year we will see M-Sport back on the top spot once again? Malcom Wilson has been very ambitious bringing back Ott Tanak back into the fold once again. We saw glimpses of potential from the puma last year as was shown with Seb Loeb taking it to it’s one and only victory at Monte Carlo.
Can Anyone Stop The Dominance Of Toyota?
The GR Yaris emerged as the fastest and most reliable of the all-new Rally1 cars, but its dominance began to wane as Hyundai became stronger in the second half of the campaign.
After a first half of the season plagued by reliability issues, Hyundai scored its first win when Ott Tanak triumphed in Sardinia in June. Tanak then struck again in Finland and Belgium, before Thierry Neuville took wins in Greece and Japan.
The South Korean brand therefore outscored Toyota in terms of victories, 4-3, in the second half of the campaign which if continuing this streak could lead to a potential competitive year between the two manufactures.
An Interesting Calendar
An all-new three-country concept and the return to North and South America are major highlights of the 13-round 2023 FIA World Rally Championship calendar. The WRC will feature a round which takes place across three countries when Austria, Czech Republic and Germany host the Central European Rally with a return back to Chile since 2019.
Title Challengers
Kalle Rovanperä shocked the rallying world when he clinched the WRC title last season making him the youngest WRC drivers champion since the late colin McRae. However, he would need to be on his guard has he will have a massive target on his back. Nueville, Evans and Tanak to name a few who could seriously give Rovanperä a run for his money this season.
A Point To Prove
As mentioned in the previous section the Welshman Elfyn Evans will be looking to bounce back after having a disappointing 2022 campaign. The former two-time runner up looked to have been the championship favourite going into Monaco last year. Sadly, it wasn’t to be. Mard by performance and reliability he was simply outclassed by his younger teammate.
Hopefully we will see more of the usual Elfyn Evans in 2023 and we will see if he can become not only the first Welshman to win the title but the first British man since the late Richard Burns back in 2001.
Final Thoughts
There are no doubts that this could be a fascinating season for the WRC. I hope we see Hyundai and M-Sport pulling out all the stops to give Toyota a competitive event and we see if Rovanperä can prove to the critics that 2022 was no fluke and he can continue his form going into the opening event in Monaco.
