Akio Toyoda (Team Chairman)"Esapekka Lappi has brought us the best possible outcome on the team's home
#rally and I would like to express my appreciation to all our fans for their strong support, as we celebrate this special moment together. Juho Hänninen also achieved his best career result: as our main test driver from the beginning of the project, the Yaris
#wrc wouldn't have been born without him. I feel sorry for Jari-Matti Latvala, who was affected by a technical problem, but his driving on the final day showed again that he never gives up and we are so proud of him. For me, Finland is a special event as I visited three years ago, talking with Tommi Mäkinen about what makes an ever-better car. Then we started this project, with the idea of learning more about making ever-better cars through rallying. Here, I believe our Yaris
#wrc showed significant performance because it was developed on roads in Finland. So, it was a really touching moment―watching the event on television from Japan―when I listened to both the Finnish and Japanese national anthems on the podium. Now we will keep on learning throughout the year. The biggest challenges are still to come. Thank you to all the fans. I look forward to your continued support."
Tommi Mäkinen (Team Principal)"It has been almost perfect; the problem for Jari-Matti on Saturday was really the only disappointment. I have to thank our team. They have put the maximum in to make a step forward on this
#rally. We were able to supply our drivers with a very fast car and the drivers did their very best job. Congratulations to Esapekka and Juho in particular. I still remember my first win here, and I had strong feelings that Esapekka could do the same as I did 23 years ago."
Jari-Matti Latvala (Driver car 10)"Luckily after our problem yesterday we were able to come back today and it started really well, winning the first three stages. We had a good run on the Power Stage but the road was more slippery for me than the drivers who followed, so two points was the maximum. Even though it could have been even better, it's a great team result with Esapekka taking his first win and Juho his first podium, well done to both of them."
Juho Hänninen (Driver car 11)"It's been an amazing weekend and I'm very happy with this result. Of course, I tried to get second, but we made a few mistakes. I'm still very happy to be on the podium for the first time in my career. Thank you to the team and this fantastic car that made it possible."
Esapekka Lappi (Driver car 12)"I'm not normally an emotional person but this is amazing. What a
#rally. I could never have imagined that we could get a result like this, so it's a very big surprise. I have to say a big thank you to the team because they have built such a great car in a very short period."FINAL RESULT,
#rally FINLAND1
Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm (Toyota Yaris WRC)2h29m26.9s2
Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC)+36s3
Juho Hänninen / Kaj Lindström (Toyota Yaris WRC)+36.3s4
Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula (Ford Fiesta WRC)+1m01.5s5
Craig Breen / Scott Martin (Citroen C3 WRC)+1m22.6s6
Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)+1m33.1s7
Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Ford Fiesta WRC)+1m53.6s8
Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle (Citroen C3 WRC)+3m12.6s9
Dani Sordo / Marc Martí (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)+4m11.5s10
Mads Østberg / Torstein Eriksen (Ford Fiesta WRC)+4m21.2s21
Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC)+20m15.8s2017 FIA WORLD
#rally CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS AFTER ROUND NINE1
Thierry Neuville1602
Sebastien Ogier1603
Ott Tanak1194
Jari-Matti Latvala1145
Dani Sordo846
Elfyn Evans797
Craig Breen538
Hayden Paddon519
Juho Hänninen4610
Esapekka Lappi452017 FIA WORLD
#rally CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MANUFACTURERS AFTER ROUND NINE1
M-Sport World #rally Team2852
Hyundai Motorsport2513
TOYOTA GAZOO #racing WRT1934
Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World #rally Team135(Results as of 19:30 on Sunday local time, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)
What's next?
The next round of the World #rally Championship is Rallye Deutschland in Germany from August 17-20, as the series returns to asphalt. This event is actually made up of three former national rallies rolled into one, and that's apparent from the very different nature of each day's stages. The #rally begins with tight and twisty vineyard stages before moving to the notorious Baumholder military ranges on Saturday, featuring challenging concrete roads. The final day is made up of more classic European asphalt stages, with wider and faster roads. The weather can often be variable all weekend.