Here's the thing: heading into the season finale, the math is simple for Pajari, but the machine needs to deliver. The Toyota driver enters the final round as the closest challenger to championship leader and Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Elfyn Evans, sitting 17 points behind the Welshman. Fellow Toyota driver Oliver Solberg rounds out this three-way title fight, sitting a further four points adrift after taking victory at Rally Chile Biobío.
With 35 points up for grabs in Sardegna, Pajari has a mountain to climb. To snatch the crown, he needs to outscore Evans by at least 18 points. Even so, the Finn is refusing to alter his driving style for the weekend.
“It’s really nice to be in the fight for the championship with only one rally to go, and I’m looking forward to it. I just need to do the best that I can, like in every single rally, so nothing really changes on my side. The gaps closed up between the top three in Chile but Elfyn still has the advantage in the points; anything is still possible and we’ll focus on doing what we can,” Pajari said.
This event brings the curtain down on a breakthrough campaign for the 24-year-old, who has put on a masterclass in consistency. He has finished inside the top seven on 11 of the 12 rounds held so far, a stunning run punctuated by a remarkable hat-trick of victories. After claiming his maiden WRC triumph in Estonia, Pajari backed it up with wins in Finland and Paraguay. That clean sweep made him the first driver in championship history to take his first three victories on consecutive events. On top of that, he has recorded more wins and podium finishes than any of his title rivals this season.
Still, the reality of the standings and the gravel roads means pure speed might not be quite enough on its own.
“We are well in the fight and so of course it is not the best position. We are quite many points still behind Elfyn and of course the road position is tricky, but it's another thing. We are all very close to each other fighting for the win,” said Pajari.
“I hope we can have a good race and hopefully not too many issues for any one of us. Hopefully we can decide the winner by pure driving but you never know.
“It is a tricky rally and I really like it here. It is very tricky and we have seen many times that there can be some tyre issue or other things can go wrong so it is normally not too straightforward. But I hope we can do the best job we can with my driving and with the car but also we need to have this small piece of luck for our side.”
The 17-stage season finale roars to life with Thursday’s shakedown before the crews tackle the Ittiri Arena Show super special stage that very same evening.
