How a livery change will benefit Toyota’s WRC drivers in Portugal

Toyota has dominated the World Rally Championship this year winning all four events to date, but there will be a noticeable difference when the Japanese brand lines up in Portugal this week. 

For the summer rounds the reigning world champions have opted to change the livery of its GR Yaris entries from the matte black colour scheme, it has run since 2024, to an all-new silver look. It is highly unusual for a team to make such a change to its livery during the WRC season, but this is much more than a simple refreshing paint job for the fans.

The WRC is gearing up for some of the most gruelling events on the calendar, beginning with a trip to Portugal, followed by visits to Sardinia and then Greece. All three rallies are renowned for delivering searing heat, providing a real work out for the crews inside the cockpits of the cars, where temperatures can reach 70 degrees celsius.

According to Toyota a move from their black paint scheme that absorbs heat to a silver paint scheme should reflect some of the heat away from the cockpit, which will be good news for their drivers. 

“It’s nice to take them [rallies in Portugal, Sardinia and Greece] on with our new summer livery, which has generated some extra excitement for the fans and should also help keep the cars a bit cooler and our crews more comfortable,” said Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala.

Toyota’s drivers gave the new look GR Yaris its first run during a pre-event test in Portugal earlier this month. 

Kalle Rovanpera heads to Portugal as the driver in form after his domination of Rally Islas Canarias last month. The Finn is already a fan of the team’s new look, and is hopeful it will help himself and Toyota team-mates perform better in hot conditions.   

“I really like it. It’s super cool, I think I always like it when there is change,” said Rovanpera.

“First time seeing the car, I was really happy. And I have already seen a few pictures from the stage. I think it looks really good in the pictures.

“I think the main goal is obviously try to keep the whole car, all the parts and us drivers more cool in the car which is always quite crucial for us. 

“We are going to have some really hot rallies and it gets super hot in the car, so I hope it will help us a bit.”

Rovanpera’s eight-time world champion team-mate Sebastien Ogier added: “I like the black livery a lot. It’s very cool. But it’s true that in summer, it’s sometimes been very, very hot in the cockpit.

“I think it was a request from all of us to try and find a solution to maybe reduce the temperature a little. In that way, it’s nice that the team supported us and went for this [silver] livery. It also brings something a bit fresher for the summer, and I’m sure the fans will love it too.” 

 

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