New look, same soul
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team’s Yaris WRC has been given a fresh look for the 2021 World Rally Championship season, which kicks off in Monte Carlo next week.
As you can see, the winged hatchback wears a black, red and white livery, which is similar to that worn by the recently unveiled GR010 Hybrid that will compete in the World Endurance Championship.
The team says that they will continue with the proven package of the Yaris WRC racer for a fifth consecutive season, so expect no mechanical changes with this new car. This year will be the last season where teams are allowed to retain the specifications of their cars before the technical regulations overhaul in 2022.
The Yaris WRC will be driven by Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, who will defend the World Rally Championship crown following their seventh world title in 2020. Last year’s runners-up Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, and rookie pair Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen are also expected to continue.
PRESS RELEASE
The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team has unveiled a new look for the Toyota Yaris WRC as it prepares to add to the car’s haul of FIA World Rally Championship success during the 2021 season.
The new livery is similar to that worn by the new GR010 HYBRID for the FIA World Endurance Championship – with a design on the GR lettering indicating the strong connection between Toyota’s competition cars and road cars such as the GR Yaris, which has been developed using the knowledge gained by the team in the WRC.
Underneath this new appearance, the team will continue with the proven package of the Toyota Yaris WRC for a fifth consecutive season – the last before new technical regulations are introduced to the championship in 2022.
So far, the car has achieved 17 victories in the WRC (winning over one-third of the events it has taken part in) and 322 stage wins. After the manufacturers’ title of 2018, it has been taken to back-to-back drivers’ and co-drivers’ crowns in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, the team’s aim is to secure the full set of championship titles.
The team continues to work to optimise the Yaris WRC, with further developments set to be introduced during 2021. The car is also now fitted with Pirelli tyres as the Italian company becomes the sole tyre supplier for the WRC’s top categories from this season.
The team enjoys strong continuity into 2021, especially with its driver line-up as all three crews stay on for a second season. After claiming their seventh world title in 2020, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia return alongside Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, who finished as runners-up in their strongest season to-date. Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen will look to build upon their promising rookie campaign, in which they finished fifth in the championship.
The season is set to begin with the classic curtain-raiser Rallye Monte-Carlo on January 21-24.
