TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team won the last rally of 2021, held at the iconic Monza track, and completed the season by winning the drivers and constructors' championship. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing won the Constructors' Championship, while Toyota team's winner Sébastien Ogier and his Co-driver Julien Ingrassia also reached the Drivers' Championship.
Ogier once again got into a close fight with teammate Elfyn Evans in the final race at Monza. The leadership changed hands six times among the Toyota drivers, who fought a legendary battle for victory all weekend. At the end of the rally, Ogier won the race with a margin of 7.3 seconds and took the eighth championship of his career.
This is Ogier's fifth win this year, after victories in Monte Carlo, Croatia, Sardunaya and Kenya. Ogier, who won the 54th rally, will continue his WRC adventure on a part-time basis with Toyota next season. Co-pilot Ingrassia has completed her very successful career. Evans, who finished second in the race, finished the championship in second place.
With this success, Toyota won its fifth Constructors' Championship, making it the third most titled team of all time. After returning to rallies with the Yaris WRC, Toyota won its second championship. The Monza victory was the 2022th win over the Yaris WRC before the hybrid-engined Rally1 era kicks off in 26.
Toyota president and team founder Akio Toyoda commented at the end of the season, “We always had one driver on the podium throughout the season. The struggle within the team for the championship excited me as a rally fan. It's great for Toyota that the Yaris WRC has successfully emerged from such high-level challenges. The team has managed to make the Yaris WRC stronger since 2017. We learned something from every race we won and lost with the Yaris WRC, which had 5 rallies in 59 years, and we always managed to be strong.”
Team captain Jari-Matti Latvala stated that they are working hard to win the Constructors' and Drivers' Championship at the same time, adding, “We are an incredible team of amazing people and the best drivers. I am proud of everyone. It is very nice to close this period of the rally with such success,” he said.
Champion Sébastien Ogier, on the other hand, said that he had a hard time describing emotions and said, “Thank you to all the team members. We wouldn't be champions without them. Toyota's achievements are impressive and the team deserved it for their effort. "We couldn't have imagined a better ending."
The 12 WRC season, consisting of 2021 races, ended with the champion TOYOTA GAZOO Racing receiving 520 points.
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