Elfyn Evans is a highly skilled rally driver from Wales, recognized for his smooth driving style and strategic mindset. Competing at the highest level of the World Rally Championship, he has achieved multiple rally wins and is known for his reliability and professionalism on the stages.
SS: What is your goal and your expectations for 2026?
EE: Uh, the expectation is, uh, of course, to try and fight for the title again. It's always the target. Um, so, yeah, looking forward to try to fight again.
SS: You
finished second on the championship five times. Do you believe that 2026 will
be your year?
EE: Uh, nothing is guaranteed in this game. Ιt's a long season, anything can happen. Νobody knows how it's going to go. I know obviously I want to give my best, but let's see how it turns out.
SS: Will you change your approach for this year after your having lost the 2025 WRC title for four points?
EE: Um, I don't know, if it's necessarily a change of approach, but of course, uh, you always try to be better than the year before. Um, so I think, there were some, especially on the gravel rallies, some events that we maybe didn't maximize our potential. And so I definitely feel like that's the area to focus on, to try to be better is the dry gravel rallies, and obviously, we have a lot of those in the second half of the season.
SS: You are the only who have
tested all the tires. I am referring to Pirelli, Michelin, Hankook, DMACK. Which tyre do you
believe that suited better to your driving style?
EE: Well, there's always been differences, let's say, even between manufacturer. For example, the Pirelli tarmac tire needed a lot of lateral load, same with the Pirelli snow tire. But in the end each manufacturer has pluses and minuses. So in the end, I don't know if there's really one that really suits my style necessarily better than the other. But, there's obviously a lot of differences, so many different tires that we use across the season. So, there's not really one that's necessarily better than the other. I would say maybe the biggest struggle for me has been with the Hankook gravel tire. But, you know, that's also evolving and changing all the time, like what happened with the Pirelli also. So, it's a difficult question to give a straight answer, to be fair.
SS: Was
there a moment that you thought about retiring from rallying?
EE: Not, not really. I mean I'm obviously not getting any younger now. I'm thirty-seven, so, let's say the majority of my career tokens might already be spent. But,at the moment, I'm still feeling like I have more to give. And I think there is moments where, of course, the schedule is pretty tough. And of course, doing it year after year after year as a full-time driver does start to get quite hard sometimes. But I still feel like I have more to achieve, I have more to give. And so while I continue to be competitive at the moment, then retiring is not something that's at the front of my mind.
SS: You
started your WRC career with M-Sport Ford. What was your best and your worst
moment when you were a M-Sport Ford driver?
EE: I was very lucky to have amazing opportunities with Malcolm and M-Sport in the early part of my career. And it's fair to say that they gave me my first shot into the WRC and we went through many actually ups and downs together in those first five years or so of my WRC career. Of course, the best moment was taking my first win with the team at my home rally in Wales Rally GB. And then, the lowest moment was probably end of twenty fifteen, where I lost my seat. That was quite tough. Um, so yeah, those, those two points, I would say.
SS: It is
the second year running without hybrid units, but we had the most powerful cars
in WRC history. Do you prefer the hybrid or the thermal Yaris
Rally1?
EE: The hybrid cars were definitely fast in terms of acceleration, but at the same time, I feel like the current cars are a bit smoother to drive somehow. They're a bit more nimble. The car is anyway quite familiar anyway, and I think the car is obviously later in its development cycle now. So I would say I'm more comfortable in this car than what I was in the early stages, but I'm not sure how much... Well, let's say only part of that is down to the removal of the hybrid unit. I think part of it is also in line with the fact that the car has continued to develop and get better over time. So, I'm enjoying the car at the moment, so, we'll go with that.
SS: We all
know that Toyota has already started testing the 2027 car. What is your first
impression with it?
EE: At the moment, I'm not too involved in the development of the twenty-seven car. I have to wait and see, to be more involved with that, to be able to comment further.
SS: Oliver Solberg's performance in Monte showed us that he will join the battle for the 2026 title. Do you afraid most Oliver Solberg or Sébastien Ogier?
EE: Well, at the moment, you know it's very early in the season, and therefore, all the drivers are a threat in a way. It's also true that Oliver and Seb will be inevitably strong for the title. At this point, it's hard to say how things will play out. I'm not really too focused on anybody else. I'm just trying to get the best out of myself. But yeah, they're both gonna be difficult to beat, that's sure.
SS: Do you
worry about the future of the sport since Kalle Rovanpera and Ott Tanak decided
to leave WRC?
EE: I am a bit concerned about the future of the sport, but not exclusively for the reasons that those two guys have left. I think we haven't perhaps kept up with the times in terms of making the sport accessible and friendly, especially for younger and new audiences. I think there's many things or many areas to improve, and of course, there's a distinct lack of manufacturers involved also at the moment. I do think that there is change needed. I'm not sure how fast that will come. Of course, there's talk of a new promoter. And so, yeah, I think on one hand, I have some concern for the sport, but there also should be opportunity for change in the near future, and in a way, I'm also excited to see what that brings. I still really believe and feel like the sport is one of the most spectacular forms of motorsport that we have in the world, and, unfortunately, it's not in the, the level of popularity I believe it should be at the moment. And so, change is definitely needed, but let's wait and see how it goes over the next few years.
SS: Which
car brand would you like to see in WRC and why?
EE: I don't really have a strong feeling on who should come in. I think we'd be happy to have any new manufacturer at the moment. I think it's a great fit for many car brands at the moment. Of course, Toyota is massively committed and obviously I'm quite loyal to Toyota over the last few years, so I don't really have a new mark for new manufacturers, but of course, we would like to see more car manufacturers involved in the near future.
I would like to thank Elfyn Evans for his time and, of course, Hans De Bauw for his collaboration.
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