After finishing the longest day of the rally on Friday in mixed conditions in fourth place overall, Rovanperä excelled on a Saturday marked by wet surfaces on his 22nd birthday to take the lead and build a nearly half-minute lead. Sunday brought further wet weather for the final four stages, but the Finn managed his lead before the final Power Stage.
A top-four finish was enough to secure the two extra bonus points he needed for the championship, but he still set the fastest time for his seventh chance on the Power Stage this season. Outgoing champion Sébastien Ogier perfected the double for the team alongside co-driver Benjamin Veillas on their fourth start of the 2022 season.
A great team work
Part of a close four-handed fight for the lead at the start of the rally, they played an important role for their teammates by taking points away from championship rivals. But in the end, Ogier’s teamwork, which “covered his back” to his teammate Rovampera, allowed all this and also another important element for the conquest of the constructors’ title. In fact, the double, plus the first and third fastest times in the Power Stage, ensures that the team increases the advantage of the constructors’ championship to 81 points with 104 remaining.
Drivers and constructors classification
Rovanperä won the world title with 237 points, followed by Tanak with 172 points. Third place for Neuville with 144, Evans 116, Katsura 100, Breen 77, Lappi 58, Ogier 55, Sordo 49 and, in tenth place, Greensmith with 36 points.
The constructors’ classification, on the other hand, sees the Toyota team in command with 455 points, followed by Hyundai at 374 and M-Sport Ford at 224 points.