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With the season heading towards its final stretch, Evans holds a 30-point advantage over Pajari in the championship standings. There are still three or four gravel rallies remaining, depending on the fate of the planned season finale in Saudi Arabia. Check out the World Rally Championship standings here! Pajari’s season got off to a poor start at Rally Monte Carlo, where he crashed twice. But the Finn has delivered impressive results ever since, claiming seven podium finishes in total – most recently victories at Rally Estonia and Rally Finland. Evans, who has performed consistently throughout the season, came to Pajari’s defence when asked about his team-mate’s performances this year. “I think he’s been doing really well. I think he was getting a bit of unfair stick, actually, at the end of last year and the start of this year after Monte. It’s not easy to come into the top class and everybody develops at a different rate,” Evans said. “And I think in many ways, the expectation is that everybody can do the same as Kalle (Rovanperä) did. I was certainly way, way slower than all of them, you know, coming to a reasonable level in the sport. So some people just take longer to get to a consistent level of performance. And he’s really showing that now,” Evans added. Toyota gave Pajari the freedom to develop last year. He was allowed to gain valuable experience without the pressure of results – and that work is now paying off. “I’ve never discounted him as a challenger and, from that side, nothing’s changed on my side. He’s continuing to be stronger and stronger, of course. And that’s normal, I guess, at this point in his career,” Evans assessed. “But I can’t control what he does either. So all I have to do is focus on my own game and do the best between now and the end of the season,” added the Welsh star, who is chasing his first world title. Evans has long faced the thankless task of acting as the so-called road sweeper on gravel rallies. As the championship leader, he runs first on the road on the opening day and has to clear loose gravel from the stages. His challenge continues next at the rounds in Paraguay and Chile, which take place within the space of two weeks. “Weather plays such a massive part on these gravel rallies, as we’ve seen. The rallies that are to come, in many ways you wish for rain, especially starting first on the road, but you also know that both Paraguay and Chile, if you have rain in those rallies, it turns into a lottery immediately because the grip is just so low generally, but also very changeable,” Evans explained. “And Chile, of course, if you have rain, then the fog comes with it normally. So, of course, from a performance point of view, we’re all hoping for rain, but at the same time it’s going to blow everything wide open if it comes,” Evans added. Rally Paraguay takes place next week. Rally Chile follows in September.