The WRC title battle is incredibly tight as a disappointing Rally Latvia for championship leader Thierry Neuville has left him just eight points ahead of Hyundai team-mate Ott Tanak.
Neuville finishing eighth means he is now without a podium in three, scoring just 35 points during that run, compared to 58 for Tanak after a win in Sardinia and third last time out.
The 2019 world champion is the man on form and may take the championship lead this weekend in Finland, but Elfyn Evans is also in the title fight as the Toyota driver trails Tanak by just five points with five rounds remaining.
But Evans only finished fifth in Latvia meaning he is still yet to score a victory this season, though Neuville and Tanak only have one each due to the form of Sebastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanpera.
The two Toyota drivers have won five of the last six rallies, but neither are in the championship fight because the world champions are contesting the 2024 season part-time.
Both will be present this weekend though, with the two-time reigning world champion Rovanpera competing in his home event which he is yet to win. They will be joined by WRC2 title contender Sami Pajari, who will make his top-flight WRC debut driving a fifth GR Yaris.
For Rovanpera to finally achieve a home win in 2024, he must overcome virtual chicanes which are set to make their competitive debut in the WRC this weekend after being used for the European Rally Championship in Rome.
A virtual chicane acts instead of a physical obstacle to slow cars down ahead of a challenging section, where organisers can designate predetermined areas for drivers to slow to 37mph (60kph).
They will feature in the Ouninpohja stage, which will be run twice as stage 13 and stage 16 on Saturday.
So that presents another challenge for drivers at the historic Rally Finland, which is the fastest event in the WRC and dates back to 1951.
Elsewhere, the battle for the manufacturers’ crown is also close as Hyundai is ahead of Toyota by only one point, despite the leaders scoring just three wins this season to the Japanese squad’s five.
M-Sport, meanwhile, is 173 points behind Toyota with only two points scoring cars this year compared to its rivals three. The British squad has claimed three podiums this season, all of which belong to Adrien Fourmaux.
Fourmaux also has an outside shot of the drivers’ title, as he is currently fifth and 44 points behind Neuville with eight-time world champion Ogier 16 points ahead of him in fourth.
So, with the season approaching its closing rounds there is still much to play for - here is how to watch this weekend’s Rally Finland.
