A WIN JUST AS IT WAS NEEDED
One of the important tools in any driver’s armoury is the ability to bounce back. After missing out on victory on Rally Croatia by less than one second Elfyn Evans needed something special in Portugal to get his title trajectory back on track. He delivered in spades in Matosinhos and powered to an unassailable lead on Sunday morning with some expert driving that even left his decorated team-mate Sebastien Ogier trailing in his wake.
It has pushed Evans to just two points away from the top of the points chase for the 2021 crown. The Toyota Gazoo Racing man showed no ill effects of his near miss in Croatia, and has also laid to rest any ghosts that might have been lurking after his narrow defeat to Ogier in last season’s title battle.
It is just the sort of boost that can help the Welshman to feel more comfortable with his season and should give him the confidence to know that he can take on and beat the best in the world.
The best in the world, according to the Formula 1 points table right now, is Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. His mastery at Monaco was sublime and rubbed salt into the wounds of the under-performing Mercedes team and particularly Lewis Hamilton. Merc and Lewis have rarely been so much on the back foot, and it will be intriguing to see how the Silver Streamroller reacts when the spotlight is on. It is another subplot in what is turning out to be a great season for grand prix racing.
The incumbent of our readers’ question-and-answer session this week is Yvan Muller, a man well known to UK fans thanks to his eight-year stint at the very forefront of the British Touring
Car Championship. It ultimately resulted in him winning the
2003 crown before he once again proved his credentials on the global stage and he became a four-time world beater.
He is now 51, but Muller is as sharp as ever as he reflects on a varied career. Never one to shirk a challenge, he took on the Dakar Rally and also set some head-turning stage times during some sporadic appearances in the World Rally Championship too. One thing Muller has never been short of is an opinion, as you can read in his revealing answers which start on page 14.
Graham Keilloh brings you all the action from the opening British GT rounds of the season at Brands Hatch, and we also look ahead to the start of the 5 Nations British Rallycross season too. Plus, all the national racing reports from last weekend are here. Enjoy.